I was told that someone had somehow gotten my user name and password. I was puzzled because I did not know how anyone could possibly get my information. I kept trying to figure it out. A few days later, I received an e-mail from "mail.cox.net Account User", telling me that there will be an upgrade in their system between April 5th-30th 2010.
The e-mail went on to say that they will be running this upgrade to determine the exact number of subscribers that they have at present, because of the anonymous registration of cox.net accounts, and the number of dormant accounts.
I was instructed to log into my cox.net email account to verify if my account was still valid and send immediately the following: Login Name, Password, Date of Birth (Optional), and State (Optional).
Before sending my account details, they advised me to Log into a link that they sent. They also said that if my account did allow me to log in, to send them the details; otherwise, it would mean that my account had been deleted. They apologized for the inconvenience that this might cause me. They assured me that they were only trying to make sure that I did not lose any information in my accounts.
They said that all I had to do was to Click "Reply", and supply the information above that they requested. My account would not be interrupted, and would continue as normal.
They thanked me for my attention to this request, and again apologized for any inconveniences. They warned me that account users that refuse to update their account after 5 Days of receiving this warning would lose his/her account permanently.
All of a sudden it came to me that I had received this e-mail before, and I had responded to it. I then knew that I was the provider of the information to the thief.
I have been preaching and teaching not to give this type of information over the phone, on the internet, or in the mail to anyone unless you initiated the contact. I let my guard down and got drawn into this unfortunate situation. I want to reiterate to everyone, do not give this type of information over the phone, on the internet, or in the mail to anyone unless you initiated the contact.
We all must be vigilant at all times and keep our guard up. I got distracted and got drawn into this situation myself. DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!!
To learn more about how to minimize your risk of becoming a victim of identity theft, visit http://www.margiewrobinson.com.
Margie A. Robinson
Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist (CITRMS)
Author of: "Are You YOU or Is Someone Else YOU - Protect Yourself From Identity Theft"
"Formula For Success - Success Can Be Yours Too"
Provide Workshops
(757) 480-9160
Lrobinson16@cox.net
http://www.margiewrobinson.com
Disclaimer: The author takes no responsibility for the readers' decisions based on information in this book. It is recommended that the reader seek professional counsel for individual circumstances.
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