No, that e-mail isn't from your new bank

Scammers are taking advantage of recent bank failures and mergers in an attempt to get personal information from account holders. The Federal Trade Commission warns that you may get phishing e-mail messages that look as though they're from the financial institution that recently acquired your bank, savings and loan, or mortgage.

The fraudulent e-mails ask you to "update," "validate," or "confirm" your account information, and include links that take you to a Web site that looks exactly like the one for your new financial institution. The scammers hope that you'll enter personal information, such as your credit card and Social Security number or account passwords, which they can use to steal your identity or even your assets.

The FTC offers the following examples of these phishing messages:

We recently purchased ABC Bank. Due to concerns for the safety and integrity of our new online banking customers, we have issued this warning message... Please follow the link below to renew your account information.

We recently acquired the mortgage on your home and are in the process of validating account information. Please click here to update and verify your information.

During our acquisition of XYZ Savings & Loan, we experienced a data breach. We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure that your account is not compromised, please click the link below to confirm your identity.

Here are some tips to avoid being victimized.

Don't:
• Reply to email or pop-up messages requesting for personal information.
• Click on a link that appears in a message, even if you're certain it's from your financial institution. Instead, to go to the institution's Web site by typing the URL into your browser or use a "favorite" or other shortcut you created.
• Send sensitive information by e-mail.
• Call a telephone number that appears in an email or message without verifying that it belongs to your financial institution.
• Open attachments.

Do:
• Keep your computer's anti-virus, anti-phishing, and anti-spyware software up to date.
• Report any suspicious e-mails to the financial institution and forward them to the FTC at sam@uce.gov and the Anti-Phishing Working Group, a consortium of ISPs, security vendors, financial institutions and law enforcement agencies, at reportphishing@antiphishing.org.

For more advice on how to avoid Web and e-mail scams, see the Consumer Reports Guide to Online Security. —Anthony Giorgianni