By Lori EhdeWith all the information and consumer warnings about identity fraud, people should know better than to provide personal information to strangers.But fraud artists are getting more creative with their schemes, and two Luverne women thought the Star Herald should be contacted to make people aware of messages they received at their homes.Diane Sherwood and Tammy Makram work together at Cragoe Realty and happened to both receive e-mails from TCF Bank within a few days of each other.The message warned them about identity fraud, and to protect their information, they should log on to the TCF Web site to confirm information."Neither Diane nor I have accounts with TCF, so I called the bank’s 800 number to tell them about it," Makram said."They said they’re having a real problem with it right now."Makram said the e-mail links potential victims to a Web site that looks like an official TCF Bank site, and prompts them to enter their name and password."For the safety and integrity of the TCF Online Banking Community, we have issued this warning message," the e-mail reads. "It has come to our attention that your account information needs to be updated due to frauds and spoof reports Failure to update your records will result in account suspension. This notification expires on 30 February 2005. Once you have updated your account records, your TCF account will not be interrupted and will continue as normal."Please follow the link below and renew your account information."Users who need "help" remembering their passwords are prompted to enter their Social Security numbers, and their user names and "secret bank codes" are their TCF bank account numbers and their ATM access codes.Makram said she didn’t know how widespread the scam was, or if local residents would be fooled by it, but felt compelled to tell someone.According to the Better Business Bureau and Federal Trade Commission, Makram did the right thing."The public needs to be aware of the lengths scammers will go to obtain a consumer’s personal information," said Jane Driggs, President of the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota. "These e-mails look very real and official — it's easy to see how a person could get duped."Known as "phishing," the e-mail fraudsters attempt to convince consumers to reveal personal information – such as their credit or debit account numbers, checking account information, Social Security numbers and banking account passwords."Unfortunately, we hear from many consumers who report that they have already responded to an official-looking e-mail and are having second thoughts," Driggs said. "We are eager to reach them before they are lured by cyber-thieves into transmitting personal financial information."Many financial institutions use e-mail to communicate with customers and direct them to their Web sites where the customers may be asked to enter personal information as part of registering for a service, such as online banking or accessing account information. However, if the e-mail wasn’t initiated in response to an action by the consumer, it’s a good idea to go directly to the organization’s Web site by entering the Web site’s address (URL) rather than linking to it from an e-mail.What to do:The Better Business Bureau and its partners recommend consumers protect themselves by doing the following:oTreat unsolicited e-mail requests for financial information or other personal data with suspicion. Unsolicited means the e-mail wasn’t initiated in response to an action by the consumer. Do not reply to the unsolicited e-mail or respond by clicking on a link within the unsolicited e-mail message. oContact the actual business that supposedly sent the e-mail to verify if it is genuine. Visit a secure Web site or call a phone number that you know to be legitimate.oOnly enter personal information on a secure Web site that you know to be legitimate. Visa or your card issuer would never ask you to send Social Security numbers, account numbers, passwords or PINs within an e-mail message. When entering personal data at a Web site, look for a "locked padlock" in the browser or "https" at the beginning of the Web site address to make sure the site is secure.oUpdate anti-virus software and security patches to system software regularly. Phishing e-mails can contain viruses that may harm your computer if opened.oBe cautious. Check your monthly statements to verify all transactions. Notify your bank immediately of any erroneous or suspicious transactions.oForward any suspicious e-mails to the Federal Trade Commission at uce@ftc.gov or file a complaint with the FTC at www.ftc.gov. You can also forward unsolicited e-mails claiming to be from Visa or your Visa card issuer to phishing@visa.com.