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 There's a new type of Internet piracy called "phishing." It's
pronounced
fishing, and that's exactly what these thieves are doing: "fishing" for
your personal financial information. They can do damage to your
financial history and personal reputation that can take years to
unravel. But if you understand how phishing works and how to protect
yourself,
you can help stop this crime.
In a typical case, you'll receive an email that appears to come from
a reputable
company that you recognize and do business with, such as your financial
institution.
In some cases, the email may appear to come from a government agency,
including
one of the federal financial institution regulatory agencies. The
email will warn you
of a serious problem that requires your immediate attention. It will
also encourage
you to click on a button to go to the institution's Web site. In
a phishing scam,
you could be redirected to a phony Web site that may look exactly
like the real
thing. Sometimes, in fact, it may be the company's actual Web site.
In those
cases, a pop-up window will quickly appear for the purpose of harvesting
your financial information. In either case, you will be asked to
update your
account information. |
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