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An internet scam known as a "spoof" or "phishing" could cost you money if you're not careful on the net.
A new scam asks customers of the internet service Pay Pal to verify their identity by using their credit card or debit numbers, but its the e-mail itself that could be fake.
The website Pay Pal allows people to shop online sites like E-Bay with a sense of security, but an e-mail scam is targeting customers of Pay Pal.
Eric Schumacher got an e-mail he though was real and sent the company his debit card number to confirm his identity.
Schumacher is usually found working behind the camera at WEIU-TV.
The e-mail he got asked him for his debit information and contained a false website address.
Luckily the Teutopolis State Bank, where Eric has his account, caught a transaction for hundreds of dollars before it was too late.
Schumacher says the bank told him a person in Romania was trying to withdrawal around $400.
Effingham County Sheriff's Detective John Niccum says internet crimes are on the rise and are now regularly investigated by the department.
He says it's important to make sure you check out any site before giving out information.
Pay Pal is warning customers not to respond to e-mails that contain generic greetings like "Dear Pay Pal Member".
The e-mails also often urge people to act quickly and links them to a false website like in Schumacher's case.
Pay Pal's website says it will never ask a customer to give out their credit card or debt information over an e-mail.
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