Phishing For Your Identity
Who hasn’t received an email
directing them to visit a familiar website where they are being asked to update
their personal information? The website
needs you to verify or update your passwords, credit card numbers, social security
number, or even your bank account number.
You recognize the business name as one that you’ve conducted business
with in the past. So, you click on the
convenient “take me there” link and proceed to provide all the information they
have requested. Unfortunately, you find
out much later that the website is bogus.
It was created with the sole intent to steal your personal
information. You, my friend, have just
been “phished”.
Phishing (pronounced as
“fishing”) is defined as the act of sending an email to a recipient falsely
claiming to have an established, legitimate business. The intent of the phisher is to scam the recipient into surrendering
their private information, and ultimately steal your identity.
It is not at easy as you
think to spot an email phishing for information. At first glance, the email may look like it is from a legitimate company.
The "From" field of the e-mail may have the .com address of the company
mentioned in the e-mail. The clickable
link even appears to take you to the company's website, when in fact, it is a
fake website built to replicate the legitimate site.
Many of
these people are professional criminals.
They have spent a lot of time in creating emails that look
authentic. Users need to review all
emails requesting personal information carefully. When reviewing your email remember that the "From Field" can be easily
changed by the sender. While it may
look like it is coming from a .com you do business with, looks can be deceiving. Also keep in mind that the phisher will go all out in trying to make
their email look as legitimate as possible.
They will even copy logos or images from the official site to use in their
emails. Finally, they like to include a
clickable link that the recipient can follow to conveniently update their
information.
A great way to check the legitimacy
of the link is to point at the link with your mouse. Then, look in the bottom
left hand screen of your computer. The
actual website address to which you are being directed will show up for you to
view. It is a very quick and easy way to
check if you are being directed to a legitimate site.
Finally, follow the golden
rule. Never, ever, click the links within
the text of the e-mail, and always delete the e-mail immediately. Once you have
deleted the e-mail, empty the trash box in your e-mail accounts as well. If you
are truly concerned that you are missing an important notice regarding one of
your accounts, then type the full URL address of the website into your browser. At least then you can be confident that you
are, in fact, being directed to the true and legitimate website.
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