Here’s a common scam: you get an e-mail from the boss (or your spouse, parents or other trusted person) asking you to send them a copy of employee pay stubs, tax information and files with confidential data such as social security numbers in them; or they’re asking you to transfer or ACH payment to a vendor or a different bank account.

The problem: even though it is coming from someone’s e-mail address you know and trust and LOOKS legit, there’s a chance it could be a scam. Hackers can INTERCEPT e-mail messages and modify them.

If you ever get this kind of request, DOUBLE-CHECK by calling that person to confirm. And even if it turns out to be a legitimate request, you should NEVER send confidential information like social security numbers (or attachments with this information inside of them) without taking precautions to password-protect and encrypt the message first.

If it doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not right.

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