If you receive an email purportedly coming from online ticket retailer StubHub confirming an order to a boxing match in Las Vegas, know this: the email isn't from StubHub and your credit card hasn't been charged.
The whole thing is a phishing scam. It's a way of attemping you to give up your personal information, which can include usernames, passwords and credit card details.
"Consumers should always investigate emails they receive that claim they are going to be charged for goods and/or services," said Steve J. Bernas, the president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and northern Illinois. "Go directly to the company for information and never enter your personal information including passwords and billing information as it may be a scam."
Anyone who gets the email should not click on any of the links contained within it. If you have logged in to your account via one of the links in the email, you should log into your StubHub account immediately (https://www.stubhub.com/account) to change your StubHub password.
The company also asks recipients to forward the email to safety@stubhub.com so it can be investigated.
The BBB offers the following tips to staying safe when shopping or doing business online:
- Change passwords periodically. Ensure online accounts are kept private by periodically changing passwords, make passwords unique so they cannot be easily guessed by a scammer.
- Do not give away personal information online. If lead to an unfamiliar website, do not give away any personal information. This includes: Social Security number, banking information, passwords, birthday, etc.
- Update virus protection and security software. Verify all anti-spyware, anti-malware, and security software and mechanisms are robust and up-to-date on the computer. Also, implement a process to periodically confirm they remain up-to-date. Security patches are often available via automatic updates.
- Monitor your statements. Keep a close eye out for suspicious charges on the itemized breakdown of accounts. Through a financial institution, you may also sign up for alerts to notify you when certain types of transactions occur.
- Report fraud immediately. Share any fraudulent activity to your bank as soon as you discover it. Consumer protections for debit and credit cards vary but largely depend on when the fraudulent activity is reported.
