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Be on the lookout for these e-mail/internet scams! Commerce Bank's Identity Theft and Online Fraud Page* Response from PayPal® on a "Spoof" E-mail Rental Properties too good to be true - with out of country connections Report Suspicious E-mails to the companies *Thanks to the folks at Commerce Bank and the FBI for these links...
The classic "money tied up in a foreign country scam" e-mails E-mails that ask you to forward them to your friends - chain letters Links to other e-mail anti- fraud websites
Remember the old saying: If it sounds too good to be true - it probably isn't! If any of these links are broken, please let us know. Also if you have any suggestions for additional links we should post, we welcome them!
Recently a PayPal® user received an e-mail that looked like this:
He was suspicious about the link the e-mail told him to go to, so he contacted PayPal directly. He was told that the email he received is not from PayPal. They also passed along the following information: Please remember these steps to help protect your PayPal account from Unauthorized Account Access. Emails - Make sure they are sent from PayPal
If you have surrendered financial or password information to a suspicious email or website, promptly report this to the issuing institution as well as change your password and secret answers on your PayPal account. This can be completed in the Profile section of your account. Email Greeting -
Website pages - make sure that they are hosted by PayPal
Passwords - keep it on PayPal
If you think you have received a fraudulent email including the header information or the site's URL, please forward the original email to spoof@paypal.com and then delete the email from your mailbox. Never click any links or attachments in a suspicious email.
How to tell fake AOL e-mail from real AOL e-mail (Links in this section are
for AOL users only)
1. Legitimate AOL mail will show up in your mailbox as Official AOL Mail. Official AOL Mail has a blue envelope next to the date in your AOL mailbox and has a dark blue border around the mail, and the “Official AOL Mail” seal at the top of the message. Official AOL Mail will NEVER have attachments. See AOL Keyword: Official Mail for more information. 2. AOL will never ask you for password or billing information or other personal information in an e-mail or IM (instant message). 3. AOL will send you a message by Official AOL Mail if your billing method cannot be charged, with a link to AOL Keyword: Billing to allow you to update your billing method. Note: E-Mail from AOL Member Services is always sent as Official AOL Mail, recognizable by the blue mail icon and blue border around the message. 4. You will only receive security warnings from AOL if you have signed up for security alerts and reminders. Check AOL Keyword: Alerts to review the alerts you are signed up for. See AOL Keyword: Security Alerts if you wish to sign up for security alerts. What to do if you believe you've received an AOL e-mail scam: 
Do not click on links in the e-mail.
Visit the legitimate site, in this case AOL Keyword: Billing.
Click Report Spam to report the mail to AOL.
Rental Properties too good to be true - with out of country connectionsBe wary of online ads for rental properties where you can't see the inside of the house because the owners are living overseas - and they don't have a local real estate professional who will show you the place. They may not own the house! Usually these offers include lower than normal rents for the area. Here's a letter that was generated from an inquiry on a local web site with items for rent/sale for a 3 bedroom house for $1000/month: Hello
They want you to send the deposit/key money via Western Union to another country. Say goodbye to your money if you do this.
Report Suspicious E-mails to the companiesCompanies want to make sure their customers are not victims of fraud. Here are some e-mail addresses they have provided for your use in reporting e-mails you receive, that are suspicious. Follow the instructions above when you receive one of these e-mails - remember, most companies will not ask you to provide billing, credit card information, passwords, etc. by e-mail. You can forward suspicious e-mails to (or call):
If you have any suggestions for additional fraud reporting e-mail addresses we should post, let us know!
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