Top Ten Tips - Avoiding Phishing Schemes
By Tip Diva | Apr 11, 2008
Categories: Adult, Antivirus, Behavior, Difficulty, Digital, E-Mail, Facebook, Firewall, Freeware, Internet, MySpace, Phishing, Safety, Scams, Services, Social Networking, Technology, Tips, Web, Websites
Phishing is a form of Internet fraud in which con artists steal your personal data, such as credit card numbers, passwords, log-in names and more, by leading you to false, yet legit-looking websites. Being phished can lead to cleared bank accounts, spending sprees on your dime, or worse - your identity stolen. Here’s how to avoid getting phished:
- Never Give Your Account Info Away - Banks and credit card companies will never ask you for your account information via e-mail, or direct you to a website where you put in your information, like your account number or password. And this also goes for sites like MySpace and Facebook, as well.
- Check The Log-In Website - If you think a link is suspicious, check the URL. If you’re a Wachovia customer, for instance, the URL should say http://www.wachovia.com, not something along the lines of http://www.geocities.com/67Syug/wachovia/login.html.
- Type In The Website Yourself - To make sure you’re going directly to your bank’s website, type the URL yourself, or save it to your favorites, so you know you’re going to the legitimate site every time.
- Don’t Trust Every E-Mail From Your Bank Or Credit Company - You may have a PayPal account, but don’t necessarily trust every e-mail that comes from PayPal. PayPal, along with many other companies, including the Internal Revenue Service, are widely used for phishing schemes. The phisher sends out the e-mail en masse, figuring that someone he hits will have a PayPal account. That’s why you may sometimes get spam mail from banks or credit cards you never use saying that your account was illegally accessed.
- Check The Subject Line - Phishing e-mails commonly use subject lines like “Your account has been suspended” or “Someone has illegally accessed your account.” When you open the e-mail, it will ask for your account information to supposedly reactivate your account - but really, they’re just stealing your information.
- Check The E-Mail Body - Most banks and credit card companies now address you by name in the body and some digits in your account number, like “Ms. Tip Diva, Account Ending in -1234.” If you have an e-mail that says something along the lines of “Dear Valued Customer” or “Dear WaMu Account Holder,” it’s most likely a scam.
- Do Not Call Numbers To Confirm Account Info - In another scheme, called vishing, or voice phishing, you receive an e-mail saying your account has been hacked and to call your bank at a 1-800 number to reactivate your account. The number is just another way to get your account information.
- Report Suspicious E-Mails - If you do get a phishing or vishing e-mail, report it to your bank or credit card company, as well as the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, whose directions are here.
- Download Anti-Phishing Software - Many popular anti-virus software titles and e-mail clients now come with anti-phishing tools built in. If you have the Firefox browser, download Google Safe Browsing. Internet Explorer 7 already has anti-phishing capabilities.
- If Phished, Call Your Bank Or Credit Company Right Away - If you suspect you’ve been phished, call your bank or credit company right away to put a hold on or cancel your account. And ask to get credit monitoring put on your accounts, so you can find out if anyone has accessed or opened accounts in your name.
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