This is fraud and more specifically, identity theft. Many emails spam your inbox trying to pull this same scam.
A fake email represents the bait in a phishing scam. Potential victims are lured into the scam with an email that threatens a breach in security or some kind of reward for replying to the email and providing personal information.
Phishing scams can hook users through trustworthy looking e-mails. Another popular scam is a message from a user on eBay.
The hook of a phishing scam is where the scammers got the information on the people they scammed. This can include emails or phone calls that trick a person into giving out information.
Phishing
A scam is a deliberate attempt to defraud you. Phishing is trying to obtain your data to steal your identity and/or credit. A rip off is where you are getting something, just not as good a quality, or for as good a price, as most people would feel appropriate.
phishing
A phishing scam is when someone sends an legit looking email in the hope of tricking the user to providing personal information.
Phishing is a portmanteau of "phreaking and fishing". "Phreaking", another kind of scam, is in turn a portmanteau of "phone" and "freaking".
phishing
phishing
The "hook" in a phishing scheme is the bait that is used by scammers to get personal information. People fall for phishing scams because they usually come in the form of harmless looking emails.