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Avoid phishing scams and spoofed sites
by TurboTax• Updated 3 days ago
Phishing is tricking someone for the purpose of stealing their info. The bait the phisher uses to reel you in is forged email, websites, or hyperlinks that look like the real thing. They'll ask for your Social Insurance number, driver's license, credit card, or bank account numbers.
Here's how to avoid getting caught.
- Spoofed email address It's easy to fake a From or Reply To address, either manually or with spam software, so never assume an email is real by looking at its header. You might be able to spot fake addresses by checking for domain name misspellings (like gogole.com, instead of google.com), but this isn't foolproof. Your best bet is not reply to suspicious emails and don't open email attachments. Some email service providers combat the problem of spoofed addresses by using authentication techniques to verify a sender's integrity.
- Fake link Scam emails can contain a hidden link to a site that asks you to enter your log on and account information. If the email threatens you with account closure if you don't log on soon, you could be the target of phishing. You may be able to tell if a link is real by moving your mouse over and looking at the bottom of your browser to see the hidden web address. It'll look different than the one you see on the surface. When in doubt, never click on a link in a suspicious email.
- Forged website Phony websites mimic real sites by copying company logos, images and site designs. Malicious webmasters can also use HTML, Flash, or Javascript to mask or change a web address. If you visit a financial site, like your bank or credit card company, enter its known address into the browser location field manually. Use a browser with an anti-phishing plug-in or extension.
Note: You can help. If you suspect you have received a phishing email from someone impersonating Intuit, please report it immediately. We look into each reported instance.
There are also sites out there that offer technical support for TurboTax or other Intuit products. While many of these sites are legitimate operations, they aren't endorsed by, licensed by, or otherwise affiliated with Intuit or TurboTax. We can't and don't guarantee their services or accuracy. The best and only way to reach official TurboTax support is through TurboTax.com and our Contact Us page.
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