LITTLE ROCK - This Valentine's Day, millions of Americans will open their inboxes to find an e-card promising a special message from a special somebody. When one buys an e-card, an email is sent to the recipient who is asked to click on a link to view the message. E-cards can serve as low-cost, easy and last-minute expressions of love; however, they can also serve as covers for phishing scams. One of the most common phishing scams occurs when an email containing a link is sent from a seemingly legitimate source. If the email recipient clicks on the link, he or she is taken to a deceptive web site, where personal information is often requested. That personal information can then be used to steal the user's identity or obtain other private information.

"This Valentine's Day if you see an email from a 'secret admirer,' be aware that it may in fact be an email from a scam artist who is attempting to exploit your feelings and empty your bank account," said Attorney General Dustin McDaniel.

The average loss per phishing scam grew from $257 in 2005 to $1,244 in 2006, according to a November 2006 report from a Connecticut based information technology company. As the use of e-cards grows around the holidays, the number of spoof messages from scam artists grows as well. The open rate of fake, scam emails disguised as e-cards is 17 percent, with only emails from social networking sites, like MySpace, having a higher open rate. In light of this and in advance of Valentine's Day, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel offered the following tips to avoid falling victim to a phishing scam:

• Immediately delete suspicious emails.
• Only open emails from known, trusted sources. Do not click on links or open attachments if you do not know the sender.
• Never give out your personal information in response to an email.
• Attempt to verify the authenticity of the message by checking with the sender via telephone or another messaging technique. Don't just hit reply.
• Contact the Public Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission if you believe you are a victim of a phishing scam.
• For more information on recent phishing scams, visit www.antiphishing.org.