Phishing is a high-tech scam that uses spam or pop-up messages to
deceive you into disclosing your credit card numbers, bank account
information, Social Security number, passwords, or other sensitive
information.
How do I identify a Phishing attempt?
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), phishers send an
email or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or
organization that you deal with – for example, your Internet
service provider (ISP), bank, online payment service, or even a
government agency. The message usually says that you need to
“update” or “validate” your account information. It might
threaten some dire consequence if you don’t respond. The message
directs you to a Web site that looks just like a legitimate
organization’s site, but it isn’t. The purpose of the bogus
site? To trick you into divulging your personal information so the
operators can steal your identity and run up bills or commit
crimes in your name.
How can I protect myself from Phishing?
The FTC, the nation’s consumer protection agency, suggests these
tips to help you avoid getting hooked by a phishing scam:
 | If you get an email or pop-up message that
asks for personal or financial information, do not reply or
click on the link in the message. Legitimate companies don’t
ask for this information via email. If you are concerned about
your account, contact the organization in the email using a
telephone number you know to be genuine, or open a new
Internet browser session and type in the company’s correct
Web address. In any case, don’t cut and paste the link in
the message.
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| Don’t email personal or financial
information. Email is not a secure method of transmitting
personal information. If you initiate a transaction and want
to provide your personal or financial information through an
organization’s Web site, look for indicators that the site
is secure, like a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a
URL for a website that begins “https:” (the “s” stands
for “secure”). Unfortunately, no indicator is foolproof;
some phishers have forged security icons.
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| Review credit card and bank account
statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether
there are any unauthorized charges. If your statement is late
by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company
or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances.
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| Use anti-virus software and keep it up to
date. Some phishing emails contain software that can harm your
computer or track your activities on the Internet without your
knowledge. Anti-virus software and a firewall can protect you
from inadvertently accepting such unwanted files. Anti-virus
software scans incoming communications for troublesome files.
Look for anti-virus software that recognizes current viruses
as well as older ones; that can effectively reverse the
damage; and that updates automatically.
A firewall helps make you invisible on the Internet and blocks
all communications from unauthorized sources. It’s
especially important to run a firewall if you have a broadband
connection. Finally, your operating system (like Windows or
Linux) may offer free software “patches” to close holes in
the system that hackers or phishers could exploit.
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| Be cautious about opening any attachment or
downloading any files from emails you receive, regardless of
who sent them.
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| Report suspicious activity to the FTC. If you
get spam that is phishing for information, forward it to spam@uce.gov.
If you believe you’ve been scammed, file your complaint at www.ftc.gov,
and then visit the FTC’s Identity Theft Web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft
to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from ID theft.
Visit www.ftc.gov/spam
to learn other ways to avoid email scams and deal with
deceptive spam.
Where can I get more information on
phishing?
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent,
deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and
to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid
them. To file a complaint
or to get free
information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov
or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY:
1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing,
identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer
Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds
of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and
abroad.
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