ETrade is teaching its users to respond to phishing scams. I am an ETrade customer, and last week they sent me the message below.
ETrade isn’t helping its customers by sending messages like this, because it makes it all the more difficult for customers to distinguish genuine messages from phony ones.
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Thu Mar 13 14:48:00 2008 – Account Service Fee
Dear PETER ,
Account #: XXXX-nnnn
On 03/26/08, your E*TRADE Securities account will be charged a $40 Account Service Fee (ASF) (https://us.etrade.com/e/t/estation/pricing?id=XXXXXXXX).
If your account does not have enough funds to pay for the fee, E*TRADE Securities may sell securities in your account to cover the charge.
If you have questions about your account, call 1-800-ETRADE-1 (1-800-387-2331) or send a secure e-mail through the Help Center (https://us.etrade.com/e/t/estation/help?id=1203000000). (To call from outside of the U.S., dial +1-678-624-6210).
Learn how to avoid incurring an Account Service Fee (https://us.etrade.com/e/t/estation/pricing?id=XXXXXXX)
Review all the ways you can deposit money (https://us.etrade.com/e/t/estation/help?id=XXXXXXXXXXX)
PLEASE READ THE IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES BELOW
The E*TRADE FINANCIAL family of companies provides financial services that include trading, investing, cash management, and lending.
Securities products and services are offered by E*TRADE Securities LLC, Member FINRA(http://www.finra.org/)/SIPC(http://www.sipc.org/).
(c) 2008 E*TRADE FINANCIAL Corp. All rights reserved. The information contained in this Smart Alert is subject to the Smart Alerts Terms and Conditions (https://us.etrade.com/e/t/estation/help?id=XXXXXXXX). We cannot respond to e-mails sent to this mailbox. If you have questions, please contact us through the Online Service Center (https://us.etrade.com/e/t/accounts/servicecenterhome).