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Security Center

Identity Theft Schemes

Phishing

Phishing is a scheme that utilizes legitimate looking spam email, pop-up messages, and phony web sites to deceive you into disclosing your personal information. "Phishers" gather personal information such as account numbers, passwords, or even social security numbers to infiltrate your account or open new accounts using your identity.

Ways to Detect Phishing

  • A fraudulent email typically communicates a sense of urgency. For example, an email might warn without prior notice that your account will be closed or that your account information needs to be verified.
  • A fraudulent email may include an email address that appears to be from a financial company, or any other institution holding your personal or financial information.

Ways to Defend Against Phishing

  • Because the threat environment is always changing, it is important to use current security software. Scottrade offers a complimentary one-year subscription to McAfee's VirusScan Plus and SiteAdvisor to help stop phishing, spam and other online threats.
  • Do not supply personal information in an email or pop up.
  • Beware of call to action emails such as, "Your account will be terminated if you do not update your information."
  • Be careful when typing in web site addresses, as some misspellings could send you to phishing sites.
  • Use spam detectors to block malicious or fraudulent emails.
  • Keep your operating system patched to avoid known software vulnerabilities. If you are running a Windows operating system, enable the automatic Windows updates or download these updates regularly.
  • Download the latest version of your internet web browser to ensure that it is updated with the latest security technology.
  • If you believe that a company is being misrepresented, contact that company using a trusted telephone number, email address, or website. If you believe that Scottrade has been misrepresented, please call 1-800-619-SAVE or email us at phishing@scottrade.com.
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Brokerage Products and Services offered by Scottrade, Inc. – Member FINRA and SIPC.

Any specific securities, or types of securities, used as examples are for demonstration purposes only. No information on this web site should be considered a recommendation or solicitation to invest in, or liquidate, a particular security or type of security.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of a mutual fund carefully before investing. A mutual fund's prospectus contains this and other information about the mutual fund. Prospectuses are available through our trading site or through a Scottrade branch office. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing. No transaction fee (NTF) funds are subject to the terms and conditions of the NTF funds program. Scottrade is compensated by the funds participating in the NTF program through recordkeeping, shareholder, or SEC 12b-1 fees.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of an Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) carefully before investing. A prospectus contains this and other information about the ETF can be obtained from the issuer. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing.

Margin trading involves interest charges and risks, including the potential to lose more than deposited or the need to deposit additional collateral in a falling market. The Margin Disclosure Statement and Agreement (PDF) is available for download, or it is available at one of our branch offices. It contains information on our lending policies, interest charges, and the risks associated with margin accounts.

Options are not appropriate for all investors. Detailed information on our policies and the risks associated with options can be found in Scottrade's Options Application and Agreement, Brokerage Account Agreement, and Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options (also available at one of our branch offices). All option accounts require prior approval by Scottrade.

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