Capital One customers who have received email or SMS text message security notices claiming that their accounts their CapitalOne 360 online profile has been temporarily de-activated for security reason, should delete them and not follow the instructions in them. This is because the messages, like the one below, are being sent by cyber criminals to frighten and trick potential victims into clicking on the links in them, which go to phishing websites that steal online account credentials.
Sample of a "Your CapitalOne 360 Online Profile has been Temporarily De-Activated" Scam
From: CapitalOne 360 [mailto:Guards@macs.com]
Sent: Friday, June 16, 2017 10:06 PM
Attachment: CapitalOne 360 Online Validate.pdf
Subject: Important Security Notice
Dear Customer,
Your CapitalOne 360 Online profile has been temporarily De-Activated for security reason.
We require that you validate your Account Ownership to help ensure your safety and security
CLICK HERE TO CONFIRM
We value your business and the opportunity to serve all your financial needs.
Thank you,
Capitalone 360 Online Team
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. 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 cyber criminals.