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Phishing is a high-tech means of attempting to fraudulently obtain sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, passwords, and user names, by using emails supposedly from respected financial institutions and reputable organizations.
Most frequently, phishing happens with emails, mass sent, that appear to come from a trusted financial institution, such as a bank, loan company, or credit card company. Increasingly these messages may appear to come from social networking sites, online payment sites, or auction sites. These emails have become increasingly plausible in appearance, utilizing familiar logos and letterhead.
The content of the fraudulent emails usually purport to have some urgency, claiming that someone has attempted to access the recipient’s electronic account with the company and stating that the recipient needs to click on a link in the body of the email to confirm their log-on information, such as user names and passwords. The email might also say that the recipient needs to re-enter their credit card number to confirm a shopping account.
While official looking and feeling, the link included in the email does not take the recipient to the official company website. Instead, the link goes to a fake website, often very professional in appearance, where the personal data is recorded, giving the scammers access to the victim’s accounts.
How to Protect Yourself from Phishing
If you receive an email purporting to be from a company where you have an account and asking you to update or verify your information, do NOT click on any links in the email, as it is likely someone is attempting to scam you.
If you want to verify your information, go directly to the company’s website either through a bookmarked link or by typing the URL directly into your web browser. Once at the site, view the company’s Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), which should provide information on how the company will contact you and how you can protect yourself from fraud. You can contact the company directly from the website, or call them, to determine if you need to update any information or if the email message was a fraudulent attempt to get your personal data.
You need to constantly be alert to phishing attempts – do not trust any email or message (including instant messages claiming to be from the instant messenger’s company) that threatens to close or suspend your account because of unauthorized access attempts.
Reporting Phishing Attempts
If you receive an email that you believe is a fraudulent phishing attempt, there are several websites where you can report it. Most of these websites ask that you forward the message, so that they can investigate the sending server and the website where you are being asked to go.
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The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) – forward the email to phishing-report@us-cert.gov
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Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) – visit the group’s website which contains a form for reporting phishing attempts, at: http://www.antiphishing.org/report_phishing.html