The Rides and Tours

Beware of 'phishing' scams

... Alarmed that investors might have been hoodwinked, Pax World issued a set of tips to help consumers avoid being duped:

• Keep an eye out for high-pressure e-mails urging you to divulge personal financial information or redirecting you to a new Web page. Phishers often make urgent or even upsetting statements to frighten people into taking action without thinking.
• Be especially wary if you're asked to "verify" information, such as your user name and password or your credit card, bank account or Social Security number.
• Conduct online transactions on a "secure" page, rather than sending your confidential information through e-mail. If you are forwarded to a Web page from a suspicious e-mail, look for signs that it is secure, such as a Web address that starts with "https:" rather than just "http:" or a padlock icon in the browser frame. If you're not sure, close the window and start over at the company's main Web site.
• Is a suspicious e-mail directing you to an unusual address? Does it contain an odd variation of the fund's name, or extraneous letters, numbers or words? This could be a sign that you're being sent to a "cloned" site.
• Read your statement. "Take a moment to scan the transactions and make sure there's nothing you haven't authorized," Green said.
• Use the security tools already at your disposal. Keep your browser up-to-date, check regularly for new security patches and install antivirus software and a firewall.
• If you think you might have been targeted in a scam, report the problem. Check with your company, forward suspicious e-mail and consider filing a complaint with the FBI's Internet fraud center: www.IFCCFBI.gov. You also can report suspicious activity to the SEC at www.sec.gov/divisions/enforce.shtml.