The "Capital One Account Security Check" email below is a scam. Therefore, Capital One customers who have received email or SMS text message verification alerts like the one below, which claim that their accounts need to be verified or else they will be suspended, should delete them and the instructions in them should not be followed. This is because the messages, like the one below, are being sent by cybercriminals to frighten and trick potential victims into clicking on the links in them, which go to phishing websites that steal online account credentials.
A Sample of the "Capital One Account Security Check" Phishing Scam
From: Capital One [mailto:wellsignature5@optimum.net]
Sent: 02 October, 2017 4:02 AM
Subject: Capital One Account Security Check®
Visit Capital One
Dear Esteemed Customer,
Thanks for Choosing Capital One. Recently there's been activity in your capital one account that seems unusual
Compared to your normal account activities,please Log On to your Capital One account and confirm your identity
To be sure is you and to help protect your account against any act of fraud related issues.
This message alert is sent on OCTOBER 2 2017 and is related to your online banking account details.
If concern about the authentication of this message please, contact us ..
Thanks for being a Capital One Customer,
© Capital One 1999 - 2017. All rights reserved.
Capital One customers who have received messages claiming that they need to do some activity on their accounts, such always go directly to https://www.capitalone.com/ and sign into their accounts. Once they have signed in, they will be notified of security updates, notifications and other important notifications, if there are any. So, there is no need to click on a link in an email message, which may go to phishing or malicious website.
Also, Capital One customers who have already been tricked by the phishing messages, are asked to change their passwords and contact Capital One immediately, before their accounts are hijacked and used fraudulently by cybercriminals.