January 5, 2010
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Protecting Against Phishing, Pt.1
A wealth of knowledge.You may have heard about one of the fastest growing scams that thieves use to steal your personal and credit card information for use in identity theft; phishing. However, do you really understand how it works and do you know what to do to protect yourself against phishing? Pronounced the same as fishing, phishing occurs when thieves use deceptive and fraudulent means to gain your personal information such as debit and credit card numbers, Social Security Number (SSN), passwords, and other confidential information. There has been a recent surge of email scams attempting to lure Americans into revealing their personal and credit card information.
After the thief has gained your personal information, he uses it to drain bank accounts, max out credit cards, and open new accounts. He also maxes out the credit limit on the new account and leaves you the mess to clean up. How it begins: These phony emails look as though they are coming from your bank or credit card company but they are really cybercriminals at work. Cybercriminals have even been known to impersonate government agencies including the Federal Financial Institution regulatory agencies.
Typically, the phishing email claims there is some sort of emergency or problem with your bank or credit card account and that requires your immediate attention. The email provides you with a link to what appears to be your financial institution and you are instructed to login to your account to fix the problem. In actuality, both the link and the web page it takes you to, is phony. The phony website resembles the real site with the company's brand name and logos. Most often, a pop-up window asks for your login information or request for personal information to verify who you are. The site is rigged to capture your information and the criminal has all he/she needs to steal your identity. Read part two to find out what you need to know and learn how to fight back.