FRAUD ALERT: Fake American Express Email Messages “Thanks for Updating Your Email”
American Express card holders beware! Scammers are using the credit card company’s email address for a phishing scam. Consumers nationwide reported receiving fake emails informing them that their account’s email address has been changed.
What does the email look like?
These scam emails are remarkably sophisticated. Not only do they use the American Express logo, they copy the business’s email design and color scheme. The fake messages even contain footer links labeled “View Our Privacy Policy” and “Contact Customer Service.”
The message informs recipients that the email address on their American Express account has been changed and provides a link to where they can log in and correct the address. The link, along with the ones in the email footer, actually leads to a third-party website that downloads a virus on users’ computers.
View a sample scam email here.
Steps to take:
• Do not reply or click on the link in the email
• Forward the email to
• Delete the email
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Jim Williams said on September 14, 12 at 11:53am
I recieved this email and i do not have a card?
Robin Slade said on September 22, 12 at 06:56pm
Hi Jim,
Sorry for the delay in responding to your comment. It sounds like you received a phish! Fraud operators bait victims by sending emails that appear to be from a reliable source, asking the recipients to respond to the email in various ways, e.g., send a return email with information or click on a link in the email. Those recipients who respond become victims. Able to send a large number of phishing emails in mass distributions, the crooks need only a small percentage of recipients to respond in order to make it a worthwhile catch.
I hope this is helpful.
Thanks,
Robin