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Phishing The Internet has opened up so many possibilities to each and every one of us, it's hard to imagine what life was like before the Internet existed. But with computers and technology has also come a new breed of criminals. They're savvy with programming and computers, and know just how to commit fraud with ease using the Internet. And for us, the innocent victim, we can find ourselves ripped off in a big way without even knowing it's happened until too late. Phishing is one of the simpler and more popular forms of Internet fraud. Basically, the criminal will send you an email that looks exactly like a legitimate email from a reputable source. Often these come in the form of emails from your bank, or from eBay. The idea behind the email is to get you to pass over private or financial information, which the fraudster can then use to empty your bank accounts or credit cards. In the worst cases, these criminals use the information to steal your identity, taking out loans and destroying your credit history completely. While it may seem that the deck is stacked in favor of the criminals, there are things you can do to avoid getting ripped off by a phishing scam. First, never respond to any email that appears to come from your bank or credit card company. Often these are designed to make you panic, suggesting that someone has changed your account password or accessed your account from an unfamiliar location. You are told to login at the web address contained in the email, so that you can verify your correct details. Instead, all that happens is the criminal's computer records the information which is then used to log in to and steal from your accounts. The bottom line is that no financial institution will ever contact you via email and request this sort of information. They are well aware of the dangers of phishing, so the last thing they would do is confuse the issue by sending out similar emails themselves. So if you receive an email that appears to be from a financial institution you do business with, remember: - Don't click on any links - Don't call any phone numbers in the email - Don't reply to the email Instead, look up the bank's phone number and call them directly yourself. Tell them about the email and ask if it's legitimate. I can almost guarantee it won't be. The people who send out phishing emails are getting more sophisticated, stealing logos and mimicking bank emails to perfection, but don't be fooled. When in doubt, call the bank directly yourself. As well as protecting yourself from phishing emails, you also need to protect yourself from sites and emails that phish your personal information. Be very wary of typing in your bank account details, social security number, personal details, PIN numbers or passwords. Never respond to an email asking for these types of information. When you need to enter information into a website for any reason, make sure it's a secure website (look for the padlock icon down the bottom of your browser). Also make sure it is a reputable website that you have located for yourself, not one you've reached by clicking an email link. A newer form of phishing email involves mimicking well known stores, and including links to "buy" certain items that are on special. So, for instance, you might receive an email from a department store, with a massive discount on something you'd like to buy. Even if the URL looks legitimate, don't be fooled. Many sophisticated phishing emails will incorporate URLs that are almost exactly the same as the legitimate ones, with just a letter or two changed. Rather than clicking on the email link, find the URL for that store, type it into the browser and go directly to the store that way. Don't go through the email link. If you can't find the special on the legitimate website, you can always telephone the store and ask if it was a genuine offer, and where to find it. If you do receive a phishing email, always do your best to report it to the company concerned. Many banks and businesses have an email address such as postmaster@theirURL and you can forward a copy of the email there. This helps companies to warn other customers who may fall victim to the phishing scam. For PayPal, you can use spoof@paypal.com. Finally, if you receive a phishing email that really bothers you, perhaps because it's such a good rip-off, or it seems very threatening, then you can report it to the Internet Crime Complain Center. This is a government agency involving both the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Centre that attempts to shut down the criminals who instigate phishing scams. Remember, the more vigilant we all are both in recognizing phishing emails and reporting them, the more difficult the criminals will find it to be successful. At some point it may even stop being worthwhile for criminals to continue their phishing scams. I certainly hope so. |
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