Greeting Card Industry, FBI Warn Against Phishing Using Emails About Online Cards

There is a new phishing scam on the internet and this one could be especially dangerous as it plays on the interests of people who may not be computer savy. The new phishing scam is now using emails that disguise themselves as alerts about online greeting cards. There are many sites that now offer you the ability to send online greeting cards, but according to a press release from Greeting Card Association you should be careful about how you open these cards.

Most online services that offer the ability to send online greeting cards offer the recipient two ways to view their greeting cards from their loved ones. They can either go on to website from that company and enter a code to view their card, or they can click a link and view their card immediately. The press release recommends avoiding the second option even though it is more convenient. The reason for this is because this is how the phishing scams are being sent out.

A recipient will receve an email telling them they received an online version of a greeting card. The email asks them to click on a link in that email. If they click on the link they are then directed to website that is not legitamate and is quite often used to steal personal information about the person who has followed that link.

One of the best ways to identify these scam emails according to Greeting Card Association's press release is not to open any online card emails that say they were sent by "friend" or "family member", make sure you know the name of the person in that email before accepting the card. Another valuable tip is to take the extra step to maintain your personal information and make visit the website and enter your code to read your card instead of clicking on the link. The press release also suggests that if you do click on a link and it fails to load your card that you close the website immediately as that could be another indication it is a phishing scam.