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There's a new form of spam (unsolicited e-mail). It could lead to the theft of your credit card numbers, passwords, account information, or other personal information. Read on to find out more about this new identity theft scam and to learn how to help protect your personal information.
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What is Phishing?Phishing is a type of deception designed to steal your identity. In a phishing scam, a malicious person tries to get information like credit card numbers, passwords, account information, or other personal information from you by convincing you to give it to them under false pretenses. Phishing schemes usually come via spam e-mail or pop-up windows.
How does Phishing work?Phishing works by the malicious user sending millions of bogus e-mails that appear to come from popular Web sites or from sites that you trust, like your bank or credit card company. The e-mails, and the Web sites they often send you to, look official enough that they deceive many people into believing that they're legitimate. Believing that these e-mails are legitimate, unsuspecting people too often respond to the e-mail's requests for their credit card numbers, passwords, account information, or other personal information. To make these e-mails look even more real, a scam artist might put a link in a fake e-mail that appears to go to the legitimate Web site, but actually takes you to a scam site or even a pop-up window that looks exactly like the official site. These copies are often called "spoofed Web sites." Once you're at one of these spoofed sites you might unwittingly enter even more personal information that will be transmitted directly to the person who created the site who might then use this information to purchase goods, apply for a new credit card, or steal your identity.
Useful Sources1. F-Secure Firewall & Security Software 2. McAfee Anti-Virus & Security Software 3. Microsoft Windows Update 4. Microsoft Office Update 5. Creating Stronger Passwords |
What you can do to help protect yourself from phishing Be alert to the problem. Just as they do in the physical world, scam artists will continue to develop new and more sinister ways to trick you online. But following these five easy steps will help protect you and your information. 1. Never respond to requests for personal information via e-mail. 2. Visit sensitive Web sites by typing the URL into your address bar not by following alink in an e-mail. 3. Check to make sure the Web site is using encryption. Tip: The site URL will start with "https://" and there will be a closed "lock" symbol on the status bar if it is using encryption. Double-click the lock icon to display the security certificate for the site. The name following Issued to should match the site you think you're on. If the name differs, you may be on a spoofed site. If you're not sure whether a certificate is legitimate, don't enter any personal information. 4. Routinely review your credit card and bank statements for irregularities. 5. Report suspected abuses of your personal information to the proper authorities. If you feel you have been a victim of a scam, you should immediately report the scam to the company that's being spoofed. 
1. Use an Internet firewall 2. Get regular computer updates 3. Use up-to-date anti-virus software |
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