Beware of America Online look-alike scammers.
Truckinginfo.com was recently forwarded this e-mail warning: "I just got an e-mail today from what looked like AOL; it said something had happened with my recent monthly billing
and my credit card company had declined the charge. The message said I needed to click on a link and update my billing info. If I didn't do it in 24 hours my account would be canceled.
"I went to that site and it asked me for my screen name and password, old billing info, new billing info and get this...my social security number! Why would AOL need that?"
AOL doesn’t need that, said spokesman Nicholas Graham. The online service will never ask for your password or billing information in an e-mail, either.
"It's hard to put a number on the online scams out there," said Graham. "AOL has stated again and again, we would never ask for a member’s password or billing information."
Except when logging onto the service, of course. Otherwise, only the AOL member can initiate any password or billing changes, he said.
What if you've taken the bait before you realize you've been had?
"If you feel you’ve entered your information for a scammer, you should immediately change your password," said Graham.
Then you should call AOL’s customer service, which is available around the clock. According to Graham, your second call should be to your credit card company.
Graham said that AOL users, like other web surfers, "need a healthy dose of skepticism," when it comes to scammers.
"It's like watching your children when they're online," he said. "It's just common sense."