Fraudsters are always finding new and creative ways to, well, steal your money. This time they’re targeting online shoppers with fake confirmation emails.

Fraudsters are always finding new and creative ways to, well, steal your money. This time they’re targeting online shoppers with fake confirmation emails.

Fraudsters are sending oh-so-real-looking fake emails.

Here’s how it works:

1. Fraudsters send you a fake confirmation email for a purchase you didn’t make. These emails look real—they use logos from retailers like Amazon—and they include a link to dispute the charges.
2. If you didn’t make the purchase, you’re going to want to dispute the charges, right? Well, if you click the link in the email and enter your name, email, address and credit card information, boom, fraudsters have all they need start making fraudulent charges on your card.

Follow these tips to stay safe while shopping online.

1. Think twice before clicking. If you receive a confirmation email that doesn’t look quite right or for something you didn’t order, don’t click on anything in the email. Instead, log back in to the site you were shopping on and look at your recent transaction history. If the charges aren’t there, submit a report to let Amazon, or another online retailer, know about the scam.
2. Don’t open attachments. If you’re shopping on Amazon, they will NEVER send you an attachment with your confirmation email—just a link to view your recent purchase. Attachments can contain viruses, so only open attachments from trusted senders.
3. Double-check the “from” name and email. If it doesn’t sound quite right, it probably isn’t. Make sure the from name and email address ends in amazon.com, not amazoncustomerservice.com or [email protected].
4. You’re safe and secure with an S. Whenever you are entering your financial information online, make sure the URL or link includes an “s” in the http portion of the URL (for example, https://). The “s” stands for secure, meaning the browser encrypts your data, making it harder for fraudsters to steal your information. If the URL does not start with https:// don’t enter your financial information.

If you think you may have clicked on a fake confirmation link and entered your financial information, call Verve immediately at 800.448.9228 so one of our team members can help check your account for purchases you did not make and safeguard your account against fraud. You can also rest assured that if our fraud block system, OmniShield, detects potentially fraudulent use of your card, a temporary hold will be placed on it, and you’ll receive a text message with details about the suspicious transaction.

It’s Verve’s goal—in line with our guiding 7 Cooperative Principles—to provide education, training and information to help our members stay financially fit. Verve is committed to keeping our members educated when it comes to their finances by providing details on financial risks and ways to stay safe.