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Well, it turns out that this was not a scam, but I received a message from American Express that someone had attempted to have a replacement card sent to an address other than the one I have on file. It turns out that Melissa called to request a replacement card. Her card has expired and the replacement card was sent to our previous address. All is well, but it brings up an interesting point: Whether you have American Express, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or whatever, you are susceptible to phishing. Phishing is when you are fraudulently asked for your personal information in the attempt to gain access to your account. Here is the content of the email:
Dear TOBY BAXLEY,
We recently received a request for a replacement card for the above referenced account to be sent to an address other than your billing address on file. At American Express®, the security of your account is taken very seriously which is why, as a means of protection, we have sent this communication to you.
If the request for a replacement card to an address other than your billing address on file was made by you, no further action is required. Your card replacement has been processed.However, if you did not make this request, please help us to protect your account from potential fraudulent usage by contacting the Identity Protection Team at 888-800-5234.
Thank you for your continued Card Membership.
Sincerely, The American Express Customer Service Team
I almost called the number on the email, but decided to call the number on my card instead. The excellent customer service team at American Express was quick to let me know that everything was fine on the account. They even called back to make sure that they have all our correct information on file. They also emailed me a current list of known phishing scam emails. Here they are for your reading pleasure:
Example 1Approximate date the e-mail hoax was sent: 04/23/2012 Address appearing in the "From" line: "American Express"Content in "Subject" line: Fraud Protection Alert
Example 2Approximate date the e-mail hoax was sent: 04/24/2012 Address appearing in the "From" line: American Express <AmericanExpress@email2.americanexpress.com>Content in "Subject" line: Confirmation of email address change
Example 3Approximate date the e-mail hoax was sent: 04/24/2012 Address appearing in the "From" line: "American Express"Content in "Subject" line: Your Message is Ready
Example 4Approximate date the e-mail hoax was sent: 04/25/2012 Address appearing in the "From" line: American Express <message.ats@americanexpress.com> Content in "Subject" line: American Express - Account Protection !
Example 5Approximate date the e-mail hoax was sent: 04/25/2012 Address appearing in the "From" line: AmericanExpress@email.americanexpress.comContent in "Subject" line: American Express Alert - Personal Security Key Reset
Example 6Approximate date the e-mail hoax was sent: 04/27/2012 Address appearing in the "From" line: American Express® [mailto:account-alert@amexcard.com]Content in "Subject" line: Account Status NotificationOR Express Accounts Management Department
Example 7Approximate date the e-mail hoax was sent: 04/27/2012 Address appearing in the "From" line: "American Express Online"<service.alert@americanexpress.com>Content in "Subject" line: Important information regarding your American Express Account
Example 8Approximate date the e-mail hoax was sent: 04/27/2012 Address appearing in the "From" line:American Express <AmericanExpress@email2.americanexpress.com>Content in "Subject" line: Your Billing Information Has Been Successfully Updated
Example 9Approximate date the e-mail hoax was sent: 04/27/2012 Address appearing in the "From" line: American Express <AmericanExpress@welcome.aexp.com>Content in "Subject" line: AmexVerify -
Example 10Approximate date the e-mail hoax was sent: 04/28/2012 Address appearing in the "From" line: American Express <AmericanExpress@welcome.aexp.com>Content in "Subject" line: Update Your New Card Information
Example 11Approximate date the e-mail hoax was sent: 04/28/2012 Address appearing in the "From" line: American Express® <account-alert@amexcard.com> Content in "Subject" line: Update Your Profile
Example 12Approximate date the e-mail hoax was sent: 04/30/2012 Address appearing in the "From" line: "American Express"Content in "Subject" line: American Express Customer Services
The guardian wisdom of this situation is to always have your guard up regarding possible attempts to gain access to your identity. If you are suspicious about an email or phone call, the best thing to do is to call the customer service number on your card, regardless of the number given to you in an email.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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Toby,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this! Very helpful as I just got such an email from someone pretending to be from AMEX. I have reported it to their fraud department @ spoof@americanexpress.com.
888-800-5234 is a correct phone number for American Express security. That was probably not a phishing scam.
ReplyDeleteDid you examine the details of the links in that email? Obvious proof of phishing would be if the links point to some nonsense web site.
P.S., American Express is a hugely disorganized company. It would never surprise me that one team at Amex has no knowledge of issues only known to another team. The security department there is a disorganized mess in itself.
P.P.S., when my authentication to OpenID timed out the first try, I hit the Back button on browser, and your site DELETED THE ENTIRE TEXT OF MY POST. I almost did not re-type it.
I work at American Express Fraud. That is a legit number to our department. It is our direct line. We get people that call back in all the time wondering if we really are amex or not. We always tell those people call the number on the back of your card so that way you know. Bottom line this number is not a scam but if you still wanna make sure call the number on the back of the card.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. I stated in the text above that this wasn't a scam, but the advice is solid that we must be vigilant in protecting ourselves from identity thieves.
DeleteThanks for the warning
ReplyDelete