| What is Phishing?
The term "Phishing"
is Web lingo for the practice of cyber scammers sending out millions
of e-mails, hoping to "reel in" a small percentage of internet
users. Once lured to a fictitious website, internet victims are asked
to disclose valuable personal information. Individuals may be asked
to provide their password, Social Security number or other credit-card
account information. Online retailers, as well as financial institutions
are being "mimicked" by fraudulent imposters to lure in
existing customers.
Protect yourself from fake versions
of legitimate websites by following these simple steps:
1. Always be suspicious when someone online requests your personal
information. Never give your personal bank information without contacting
a branch office first.
2. Make it a policy to never respond to e-mails or pop-ups that ask
for your personal or financial information, click on links in the
message, or call phone numbers given in the message.
3. Utilize web tools that will notify you that you are in a "fake"
site. Corestreet's Spoofstick works as an extension, and will alert
you that you are "not really in the site you think you are in."
For instance, if you think you are on eBay's site, this software will
alert you immediately that you are actually in another site that appears
to be eBay.
4. Simply do not click the link. If you are ever concerned about the
site you are in, and suspect foul play, type in the URL of the homepage
of the site you want to be in, and that will ensure you are in a legitimate
site.
5. Contact your financial institution by phone immediately if you
suspect that you have given out confidential banking information in
a phishing scam.
6. Warn family and friends who may not be as familiar as you are with
the internet and scams like phishing.
7. Lobby your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to play a bigger role
in claiming responsibility and protecting internet users. After all,
they are the experts.
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