How to Avoid Phishing Scams

Written by  mds    Friday, 27 August 2010 06:00
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Phishing is the criminally fraudulent practice of attempting to acquire personal information— such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and bank account information— over the internet. Phishing is typically carried out through email or instant messages.
 
Phony communications disguised to appear as if they are from a popular website or financial institution will instruct users to enter sensitive personal information at a fake website that is nearly identical in appearance to the genuine one in order to steal pertinent details. Phishing can result in things like hacked email accounts, bank fraud or even identity theft.

Avoid Being a Victim of Phishing
The following recommendations can help you avoid becoming a victim of a phishing scam: 
 
* Be suspicious of email or instant messages with urgent requests for personal financial information.
* Do not use links from an email or an instant message if you feel that it may be directing you to a fake website or if you do not know the person who sent it to you. Enter website addresses yourself to ensure that you are visiting the legitimate site.
* Avoid filling out forms directly in an email message.
* Ensure that you are using a secure website when submitting sensitive personal information on the internet.
* Get into the habit of looking at the address bar to see which site you are actually visiting. Does anything seem funny or look different than usual?
* Regularly log in to your online accounts. Do not go weeks or months without signing in!
* Check your bank, credit, and debit card statements each month to ensure that all transactions were authorized.
* Be sure that your web browser is up to date and security patches have been applied.
 
Be Careful When Providing Personal Information Online
The volume and sophistication of phishing scams sent to consumers has drastically increased and continues to do so. Online banking and shopping online are generally safe practices, but you should be extremely careful about providing personal financial information over the internet. Use your common sense.

Last modified on Friday, 27 August 2010 06:07
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