5. Use common sense

It's highly unlikely that your bank will ever ask you to verify your account in this manner. This type of email scam is a well-known tactic known as phishing. Such scams tend to try to convey some sense of urgency in order to make you carry out the requested actions before

1. you realise what's really going on
2. they get shut down

Also, note the lack of a notice at the bottom of the email. Usually, business emails of a confidential nature tend to have a notice that says something along the lines of "if you're not the intended recipient of this email then you must delete it".

Some scams will appear to be more realistic than others. In this case, the scam was poorly executed with some very easy-to-spot flaws. You may receive scam emails that exhibit none of these characteristics. You may have no choice but to contact your bank directly by other means in order to verify its validity e.g. by telephone. Just make sure that the alternative method of communication you use isn't the one that's shown on the email! Use a telephone number from your bank's website, but type their URL directly into your web browser. Don't use the one from the email.

Email is not a secure method of communication. It's vital that you don't treat it as such!

Here's how MailWasher Pro handled this particular email:

And how SpamWeed Bayesian filter handled it:

Using automated software such as MailWasher Pro or SpamWeed is an excellent way to avoid falling for any such scams and helps to backup your own judgement.

Remember, if you are ever in any doubt about the true source of an email then proceed with caution. People do fall for these tricks and even if you spot them easily now that doesn't mean that you should ever relax your guard or develop a false sense of security! Keep cautious and you should stay safe.

Remember those immortal words,

"Let's be careful out there..."