The Washington Post is reporting that a global phishing operation has been busted up. Running since 2007, the operation was responsible for draining about $1.5 million from the unsuspecting public who were tricked into providing their Wells Fargo and Bank of America account logins after receiving a phony email.

If you have been on the Internet for any length of time, surely you have seen similar emails asking you to click and provide your bank details. While this particular ring has been dismantled, nearly 50,000 new phishing websites were setup globally in just the month of June, according to the article.

Banks typically do not email their customers, and each bank has information on their website with regards to their specific policy. Some examples are below:

• TD Canada Trust
• Scotiabank
• Bank Of Montreal
• CIBC
• RBC

The moral of the story is as always; don’t trust that unsolicited emails are legitimate, always go directly to your bank’s website to login (not via a link in an email) and use antiphishing and antispam software to protect your identity.