A Closer Look at Phishing
Phishers are constantly coming up with new online schemes to reel in potential victims. Learn more about phishing to make sure you don't fall for a scam.
Understanding Phishing
Phishing is a type of social engineering attack where cyber-criminals try to fraudulently get hold of your private information, like usernames, passwords and credit card details.
Phishers have been known to use direct messaging, e-mails, or pop-ups in order to initiate their scams; they may attempt to lead you to a counterfeit website, impersonate a well-known company and convince you to respond, or plant malware on your PC after you click a link.
Phishing scams are growing more and more sophisticated, targeting financial institutions in an attempt to get you to give up your sensitive information, resulting in identity theft and financial loss.
Staying Out of the Phisher-man's Net
Nearly half of those who answered a recent Lavasoft Ballot Box poll, 46 percent, responded that they have been a victim of phishing.
What can you do to avoid being the victim of these scams? Always be sceptical of messages asking for private information, and never click on any suspicious links.
OnGuard Online has some quick phishing tips and advice on how not to get hooked by phishers. To browse lists of past e-mail scams and fraudulent sites, check out the Anti-Phishing Working Group, an industry and law enforcement association focused on wiping out Internet fraud. If you've been scammed or know of a fraudulent site, you can also report sites and e-mails to be reviewed and added to their phishing archive.