Every bank or entity which has secure online accounts is threatened by the practice of phishing fraudsters who create mock emails purporting to be from the bank, which usually start with something like your account (payment, credit card, etc) info is out of date and your account will be suspended if you do not update it. The goal is, of course, to get your sensitive financial information so the fraudster can rip you off at will.

This is a form of identity theft, and since some online accounts are linked into other accounts, the damage from one compromised password can be huge.

Virtually every online account company has pages on their site, warning people of how to avoid the dangers of such emails. Without exception, one of the rules that is repeated over and over is:

Never click on an email link to get to your account. ALWAYS type the URL into your browser, or use a bookmark.

Now, here is the kicker:

EVERY SINGLE secure online company that I have that I get emails from PUTS CLICKABLE LINKS IN THEIR EMAILS!

Why do they do that when they just told you NOT to click them? Why do they put in email links, and make it easier for scammers to give the appearance of legitimacy?

If companies were truly concerned about protecting their customers, they'd follow their own rules! And they'd not give such an invite to the unscrupulous to rip off their patrons!