Here are some tips to protect yourself from this and other scams.

Pop-ups are a form of online advertising intended to attract web traffic or capture information.  Pop-ups appear in a separate, usually small, browser window.  These windows may include advertisements or ask you to enter personal information such as your credit card account number, expiration date and security code.  By clicking on a link in a pop-up, spyware or malware may be downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge.

Pop-up windows that occur even while you are not browsing the Internet may be an indicator that your computer is infected by spyware or malware.  There are many software programs that block pop-up windows.  Check your security software to see if this is an option that you can enable.

Phishing
These fake e-mails appear to come from legitimate sources.  They ask customers to verify personal information or link to fake websites that appear real.

Beware of e-mails that:

• Urge you to act quickly because your account may be suspended or closed.
• Don't address you by name, but use more generic language like "Dear valued customer."
• Ask for account numbers, passwords or other personal information.

Do not click on any link in these suspicious e-mails.

Pharming redirects
Pharming involves redirecting Internet users to a fake website, even when they entered the correct address.

These bogus sites often look real, but secretly collect any personal information and passwords entered.  Users end up at fraudulent sites by having spyware or a virus loaded on their computer, or by sophisticated hacking tricks.

Beware of any changes to the logon screen.  If you are asked for anything out of the ordinary, do not enter any information.