How to Report Phishing Emails to the Government

Do not open suspicious emails, instead, forward to US-CERT.

Phishing is a term used to describe an attempt to solicit personal information from unsuspecting users. Phishing emails are disguised to appear as if they were sent from a legitimate organization, business or individual. A link is often included in phishing emails that would take a user to a fraudulent website that prompts for personal information such as account usernames and passwords. In addition, these websites may contain computer viruses, malicious code and spyware. These email are also illegal and should be reported to the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team.

Instructions

1. Refrain from opening the suspected phishing email.

2. Create a new email and attach the email you suspect to be a phishing scam. In Outlook express, you can drag and drop the phishing email into your new email. Or you can use the "Forward" feature.

3. Send the email to [e-mail].

4. Send the URL to the website included in the email if you cannot forward the email itself.

Tips & Warnings

• If the suspicious email includes a file attachment simply highlight the message and forward it. Some operating system configurations may allow the execution of arbitrary code upon opening and viewing a phishing email message.

References

• United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT): Report Phishing