If it sounds too good ....

 This was published previously on my Medium account.

If you’re like me, your email inbox has been inundated by emails from “bankers” in African countries, each telling me to give them my personal financial information and they’ll give me their money. Of course, they don’t come right out and say that, but that’s their intention.

All the emails are similar — someone has left you a large amount of money. All you have to do is send your bank account and social security numbers, along with your date of birth.

What could go wrong?

Well, plenty. They take your personal information and use it to access your bank account, draining all your funds. They sell your social security number and your date of birth to scammers who use them to steal your identity, ruining your credit and your financial life.

What can you do?

The FBI calls this the Nigerian Letter or Section 419 Fraud. And there’s plenty you can do about it to protect yourself.

1. Carefully read the sender information. If you don’t know the sender, delete it automatically. It’s a scam.
2. No one is going to just send you money. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the only way to make money is to earn it. Even the lottery doesn’t make you more money than you spend over time. No matter what, if someone you don’t know wants to send you money, it’s a scam.
3. Never, ever click on a link in an email from someone you don’t know. This is how computer viruses spread, and you’re allowing access to your computer by those who have malicious intent.

You can report these emails to the government.

• Send the email to your local FBI office or the Secret Service Cyber Crimes Unit
• Register a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission’s Complaint Assistant

And as always, protect your personal financial information like it’s gold because it is.