These fraudulent e-mails are often difficult to identify but there are some techniques you can use to protect yourself. Below are some examples:

E-mail Greetings

Always be suspicious of e-mails that do not greet you by name. While not impossible, it is more difficult and costly for phishers to associate an e-mail address with the e-mail owners name on a mass scale. Because of this, phishing e-mails most often are addressed generically like "Dear Customer" or "Dear Cardmember." When you receive an e-mail from American Express related to your account, the email will include the last 5 digits of your account number. If you receive an e-mail regarding your American Express Card Account but it does not contain this information, it may be fraudulent. If you are concerned about the legitimacy of an e-mail from American Express you can forward the e-mail to spoof@americanexpress.com. If the e-mail is fraudulent we will take the appropriate actions.

Sense of Urgency

Phishing e-mails often try to create a false sense of urgency intended to provoke the recipient to take immediate action; for example, phishing e-mails frequently instruct recipients to "validate" or "update" account information or face cancellation. Be very cautious of any e-mail asking you to update sensitive information particularly if it has a generic greeting (see above).

Links in E-mails

Nearly every commercial e-mail today contains a "link to a website," or website address (URL). Links are used by business as a convenience for their customers to help them easily find information the customer is looking for. Unfortunately, phisher's also use links to drive customers to "fake" or "spoofed" websites. Look for the warning signs outlined above (generic greetings, sense of urgency). If you are suspicious of the e-mail, do not click on any links contained in it. Instead, go to the website by using your "favorites" if you have it saved, or type the website's URL directly into your browser.

What Should You Do If You Suspect an E-mail Is a Phishing Attempt

If you are suspicious of an e-mail you receive, you should forward the e-mail to the legitimate company being impersonated. Today, most major brands have an e-mail address where you can forward the suspicious e-mail. If you receive an e-mail claiming to be from American Express that you believe to be suspicious, please forward the e-mail to spoof@americanexpress.com. We will review the e-mail and, if it is fraudulent, we will take appropriate action. Please note that you will receive an auto response from American Express acknowledging the receipt of your e-mail.

What should you do if you entered sensitive information into a fraudulent website?

If you have already responded to an e-mail with your American Express account information and you believe it to be fraudulent, please contact American Express immediately by calling the number on the back of your Card. Or, for a list of phone numbers, please click here.

If you are ever in doubt about American Express contacting you by phone, simply call the number on the back of your Card or on your account statement. Be sure to enter your account number when prompted and you will be routed to the correct department for assistance.

What Should You Do If You Supplied Sensitive Information over the Phone to a Suspicious Party?

If you have already responded to a suspicious caller with your American Express account information and you believe it to be fraudulent, please contact American Express immediately by calling the number on the back of your Card. Or, for a list of phone numbers, please click here.

People routinely throw away junk mail, utility bills, and other types of correspondence. Usually, these items contain your name, address, and, at times, account numbers. Fraudsters can use this information to attempt to take over existing accounts or create/open new ones.

One way to prevent this situation from happening to you is by shredding documents before discarding them.