What is Phishing
“We believe there is an unauthorized financial transaction was done in your bank account. To be sure that your account isn’t compromised, you need to click the link listed below and ensure your identity is correct.”
“In the course of our normal confirmation of accounts, we could not authenticate your personal details. Please click below in order to update and verify your info.”
Perhaps you have gotten email which has a very similar message? It really is a type of identity theft scam referred to as “phishing” – and it involves internet scammers that send out unsolicited mail or perhaps pop-up messages in order to trap personal info such as credit card numbers, financial institution account details, Social Security number, security passwords, as well as other private information out of unsuspecting individuals.
As reported by government sources, online phishers’ send an email or pop-up a message that claims to be coming from a company or organization which you might deal with – for instance, your Internet Service Provider, bank or investment company, on-line payment service, or possibly a federal government agency. The message may ask you to “update,” “verify,” or “confirm” your account details. A number of phishing email messages warned a serious consequence in the event you do not answer. Typically the emails steer you to a internet site that appears to be a reputable organization’s web page. However it is not. It really is a phony web site whose single objective will be to fool you into divulging your private information so that the operators can easily steal your identification and run up charges or even commit criminal offenses using your name.
How to Protect yourself from phishing
We offer these guidelines to help you to avoid finding yourself hooked by the phishing scam:
Don’t respond or click on links in any email or pop-up that asks for your personal information. Legitimate companies won’t ask you to do this.
If an email or pop-up requests that you call a telephone number in order to update your account don’t call that number. Con artists use voice over internet protocol to get you to call numbers that appear to be from a business you recognize.
Make sure that you use anti-virus and anti-spyware applications on your personal computer. Additionally insure these applications are up to date with all the most current updates. Some Phishing emails contain programs that may harm your pc or track your activities.
Be wary of opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you receive, no matter who sent them. These files can contain viruses or other software that may weaken your computer’s security.
Use a firewall, these can help to make you invisible online and block communications with unauthorized sources.
Never email confidential or financial information. This method of communication isn’t secure and may be easily intercepted.
Whenever interacting with website which requires personal or financial information make certain the site is secure. Look for the lock icon or verify that the Website url starts with “https:”
Review financial institution and credit card statements the moment they arrive. Look for any transaction which you don’t recognize, if found notify the institution immediately.
How to report phishing attempts
You should forward any suspected phishing emails to the company, bank, or organization impersonated in the phishing email. Most organizations have details on their web sites about where to report issues. Additionally you can report phishing email to reportphishing@antiphishing.org. This Anti-Phishing Working Group, a consortium of Internet service providers, security vendors, financial institutions and law enforcement agencies, uses these reports to battle phishing scams.
At identitytheftstories.net we look to these sites and others for further information about identity theft related issues and solutions. We hope that you will find them useful as well.
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