Oregon Department of Justice

Consumers need to be on the alert due to a data breach at one of the nation's largest email marketing companies, Epsilon Interactive. As a result of the data breach, potentially millions of names and email addresses are in the hands of online hackers. Companies that use Epsilon for email marketing include:

If a company believes that your information was compromised you will be contacted by email.  The email will state that your name and email may have been compromised – no follow-up action with the company will be required.

The very hackers who stole the data will likely send phishing emails asking for your personal information. Phishing emails often appear to be from legitimate companies, but are in fact crafted to solicit your personal banking information and social security number.

Oregon Attorney General John Kroger reminds Oregonians that legitimate companies will never ask you for a bank account or social security number or username and password in an email. Common examples of phishing emails including fake "package delivery confirmation" and "bank account" emails. Attorney General Kroger offers the following tips to stay safe from online hackers.

• Never respond to an email soliciting personal information. If you suspect it might be legitimate, pick-up the phone and call the company directly.
• Do not click on any links embedded in phishing emails. They may contain viruses or malware designed to steal your personal information
• Make sure your computer has up to date anti-virus software.

Below are a two recent examples of phishing emails:

The Oregon Department of Justice is committed to protecting Oregon consumers. Anyone who has suffered a financial loss should call the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-877-877-9392 or go to www.oregonattorneygeneral.gov.