Phishing is a form of Internet fraud that aims to persuade recipients to disclose valuable information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, user IDs and passwords by tricking. It is a new form of identity theft.
The most common attack is a forged email message that may appear completely legitimate from a specific company. Normally these kind of email message will contain links to one or more fraudulent web pages that imitate the appearance the company. Since the recipient thinks the email to is from the legitimate source, he or she is likely to end up entering sensitive information in a malicious form located in one of those websites.
Tips to help you avoid phishing scams
- Never click a link on e-mail message which requests personal information.
- Call the support person or organization listed in the email if you receive suspicious emails.
- If you are Internet Explorer user, Upgrade your browser with Phishing Filter built-in.
- If you are Firefox, Upgrade your browser to Firefox 3 or later which built-in Phishing and Malware Protection to help keep you safe online.
- Don’t click the email link to update your information.
- Type the web address in your Internet browser yourself.
- Make ensure that you are using a secure website when doing financial transactions( the web address must begin with https:// )
- Regularly check your accounts.
- Contact the targeted institution for advice immediately, If you have already submitted information to scammers as a result of a phishing scam.
How to report phishing Scams
- United States, one can report at the Internet Crime Complaint Center
- Canada, one can report at RECOL (Reporting Economic Crime On-Line)