COLUMBIA - The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs urges consumers to be wary of spoof e-mail messages from designed to look as though they were sent by Capital One.

The scam begins with an unsolicited e-mail from Capital One claiming the consumer's account has been accessed by an unauthorized user. To protect his or her money the customer is asked to verify account information by clicking on a link within the e-mail. The link takes the consumer to a website that looks legitimate, but is only designed to mimic the real Capital One website. Once there the consumer is asked to provide name, address, credit card number, signature panel code, social security number, and other sensitive and personal information.

If you believe you have received a phishing e-mail that claims to be from Capital One, forward the suspicious e-mail to abuse@capitalone.com.