Phishing

Phishing is a very prevalent Internet scam. Phony websites and email addresses are setup in hopes of tricking the user. SPAM Email with official-looking messages is sent to your inbox. Messages indicate that your account with Company X has encountered a problem and you need to login and confirm some details.

The email addresses are masked to appear official and the links provided in the email all seem to check out. If you click on the link provided, you will usually be taken to a site that looks very “official”. When you click 'submit', your details will be sent to a criminal somewhere who will do as they please with your information, such as withdrawing money from a bank account or purchasing things in your name.

The scam has been labeled 'Phishing' because the criminals engaging in the activity behave similarly to a fisherman throwing bait out in the hope that they'll receive just one bite from the millions of people that receive the email.

How To Avoid Phishing SCAMS?

• Don’t provide personal information in response to email requests. Most reputable companies will not notify you via email and request this type of information.
• If the email refers you to a Web site, look carefully at the URL. Most browsers will ignore the @ symbol. Therefore a link to www.mycompany.com@thisisascam.com may look real but may actually take you to some criminal’s site. The longer the URL, the easier it is to hide the scam site. Another method is to use similar looking characters. A 1 may be substituted for an l. A 0 may be substituted for an O. If you are unsure, Do Not Click. Contact the site via telephone.
• Most financial institutions will have encrypted web sites. Check the lower right hand corner for the locked padlock. This indicates that the data will be encrypted. Again, most reputable institutions will not ask for this data via email. Always contact the institution via telephone if you are unsure.
• Keep updated firewalls and anti-virus software. This will make it harder for anyone to install key loggers, Trojans, Spyware, or other similar devices intended to retrieve your information.
• Keep your operating system up to date with the latest security patches and updates.