like I do, you might want to be careful. Last weekend, I received a message saying that they were having trouble processing my credit card (I'm automatically billed for ISP services and Sprint broadband). It just so happens that my card was renewed last month, so it has a new expiration date. Perhaps I was tired, perhaps I just let down my guard, so I clicked on the link in the email message.

The pages looked exactly like Earthlink. They might've succeeded except they got greedy because they asked for WAY too much information (things like my Social Security Number, mother's maiden name, my birthday, etc.). I balked and immediately closed the page without submitting anything. The next morning, I contacted Earthlink. It turns out it was a fraud ring trying to get info that could be used for identity theft. Had I answered those questions and submitted the results, no doubt I would've joined the estimated 500,000 identity theft victims in the US each year.

The moral of the story: reputable companies like Earthlink won't send you an email asking for credit card numbers. If in doubt, contact the company through their primary webpage (e.g. http://www.earthlink.net, customer service). Don't EVER give out your SSN to anyone. They don't have a need to know and in fact, it's actually against the law for most companies to request it. If they refuse you service for that, take your money elsewhere.