We’re wired to be social creatures,

Recently, one of the nation's largest email marketing companies (Epsilon) was hacked.  As a result, hackers captured millions of names and email addresses. 

According to SecurityWeek, “Epsilon sends over 40 billion emails annually and counts over 2,500 clients, including 7 of the Fortune 10 to build and host their customer databases.”

If these companies have your email information on file, you should be receiving emails from different companies like Best Buy, Marriott, Hilton, etc., letting you know this.

Something that can be expected as a result of this attack are phishing emails asking for personal information.  They will seem to be coming from a legitimate company, but in fact, if you click on the link in the email, you will be taken to a fake company.  They are trying to get even more personal information from you, such as personal banking information and social security number.

What you need to remember is that legitimate companies will never ask you for a bank account or social security number or username and password in an email. 

As a reminder:

• Never respond to an email soliciting personal information.  If you suspect it might be legitimate, pick-up the phone and call the company directly.

• Do not click on any links embedded in phishing emails.  They may contain viruses or malware designed to steal your personal information.

• Make sure your computer has up to date anti-virus software.

Here is an example of a phishing email: