When you click on a link in an email, there's a chance you are being hijacked to places unknown, rather than to the web site that you think you are going to visit.
So, to be as safe as possible, never click on a link in an email. Instead, use your keyboard to type the Web address into the address bar of your browser. Only do that if you know the Web address is correct because you've used it in the past. If it seems suspect in any fashion or it's an address that you've never been to before, skip it altogether and take a different route: the telephone.
In our previous ISP example, it would be a good idea to call the ISP and confirm verbally that they sent the email, and that there is actually a problem with your credit card information. At that point, you can either resolve the issue on the phone or ask the customer service representative for the Web address that allows you to log in and correct the problem on your own.
By taking an alternate route, you stop the phishers cold in their tracks.
By the way, if there's a phone number in the email you received, don't assume that it's correct. A clever phishing criminal might put a phone number in the email that ostensibly goes to, say, the billing department but really puts you directly in touch with a criminal who will assure you that "everything is alright." So, double check phone numbers before you call — or, better yet, take an alternate route to get the phone number.
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