Phishing is an attempt to criminally and fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. eBay, PayPal and online banks are common targets. Phishing is typically carried out by email or instant messaging and often directs users to enter details at a website, although phone contact has also been used. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to fool users. Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical measures.
One form of phishing is the malicious practice of sending deceitful emails to unsuspecting recipients. One day you receive an email from your bank asking to re-confirm your password or social security number through an email. The email looks real, complete with the logo of your bank and a professional looking layout, so you comply, and send them whatever they asked for. You've just been phished. Your personal information is not going to your bank, but instead into the pocket of a phisher who will take you for everything you've got.
The top five ways to avoid phishing scams are:
- Purchase internet security software that has anti-phishing capabilities. Some great choices are Norton Internet Security Suite or Bit Defender Internet Security Suite.
- If you receive a suspicious email, don't respond to it; rather call the company that it came from and talk to a service representative to verify its authenticity.
- No company will ever ask for your pin, password, credit card number or social security number through an email. If one does, you're being phished and you should contact the company immediately to report it.
- Phishers are often lousy spellers; if you see a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes, take caution.
- If you do suspect an email to be a scam, don't use any of the phone numbers, links, or email addresses provided in the suspected message. Instead, use information directly from the site.
Don't get scammed, protect yourself, and fight back! Report all phishing attempts to the company it supposedly came from.
