- 5 Tips To Protect Yourself!
What is phishing?
Phishing is a type
of deception designed to steal your identity. In a phishing scam, a malicious
person tries to get information like credit card numbers, passwords, account
information, or other personal information from you by convincing you to give it
to them under false pretences. Phishing schemes usually come via spam e-mail or
How does phishing work?
A phishing scam begins with a
malicious user who sends out millions of fraudulent e-mail messages that appear
to come from popular Web sites or from sites that you trust, like your bank or
credit card company. The e-mail messages, and the Web sites they often send you
to, look official enough that they deceive many people into believing that
they're legitimate. Believing that these e-mails are legitimate, unsuspecting
people too often respond to the e-mail's requests for their credit card numbers,
passwords, account information, or other personal information.
A scam artist might put a link in a fake e-mail that appears to go to the legitimate Web site, but actually takes you to a scam site or even a pop-up window that looks exactly like the official site. These copies are often called spoofed Web sites. Once you're at one of these spoofed sites or pop-up windows you might unwittingly enter even more personal information that will be transmitted directly to the person who created the spoofed site. That person can then use this information to purchase goods, apply for a new credit card, or steal your identity.
as they do in the physical world, scam artists will continue to develop new and
more sinister ways to trick you online. But following these five steps can help
you protect your personal information.
5 ways to help protect yourself from phishing