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Phishing |
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Phishing is a term used to describe the process whereby e-mail messages and websites are used to dupe the unsuspecting into providing valuable personal information. A common example is the e-mail stating that your PayPal account needs to be updated or verified. The e-mail will appear legitimate (it might even include a paypal.com suffix) and include a convenient link for you to use (see note below) to go to the PayPal site and verify your personal information (e.g., name, checking account number, DOB, SSN, etc.). If you click on the link, the site you access will even look like the PayPal site. Of course, any information you provide will not go to PayPal. A Note about Phishing Links Although we singled out PayPal scams (we love the real PayPal service and use it a lot) be aware that there is an endless variety of phishing scams circulating the net. To protect yourself from such scams, we have a couple of recommendations. Use Common Sense. If you think a message is hinky, it probably is. If you receive a message from Washington Mutual requesting information and you don't have a Washington Mutual account, the last thing you want to do is follow some link to a site and enter your personal information. And remember, it is extremely unlikely that you have an unknown, recently-deceased relative in Botswana whose estate is worth $20,000,000.00. Only Open Messages Using Addresses You Recognize. Only open messages from people and institutions that you know are real. If you can't figure out if the message you received is bona fide, go to the website by manually typing the correct address into your browser or better yet, call the bank or company in question directly. Never use the link provided in a suspect message. Use a Filter. Most e-mail services and e-mail software include some kind of spam or junk mail filter: get familiar with it and use it. Of course, legitimate messages can be trapped by the filter, so it's always a good idea to review the list of messages in your filter on a regular basis. Be aware that many filters can be trained to allow valid messages that were initially identified as spam and to prevent the delivery of junk that was initially identified as valid. Report It. You can forward phishing e-mails that you receive to both the Anti-Phishing Working Group (at reportphishing@antiphishing.org) and the Federal Trade Commission (at spam@uce.gov). You can also file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Install Anti-Virus Software. See our Anti-Virus Software page. Install a Firewall. See our Firewall Software page. Install Spyware Software. See our Adware and Spyware page. Knowledge Is Power. You've come this far, keep looking and asking questions. Ask your friends and co-workers what they use to prevent e-mail problems and keep doing research. There is a lot of great information available on the internet. Here are some links you might like to check out: Anti-Phishing Working Group If a link on this page needs to corrected or updated, or if you know of a valuable resource that we should add, please let us know. |
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