Protecting Yourself from Phishing and Other Scams...
Phishing
Phishing: An attempt to steal your personal information
Phishing is one of the most pervasive of Internet problems. A phisher typically sends a spam e-mail message to thousands of mailboxes.
The message often will appear to be sent from a legitimate company, such as PayPal, eBay or a financial institution. Pretending to be another entity or individual is known as "spoofing."
The body of the e-mail message usually contains a warning that your online account has been compromised, and urges you to re-enter your personal information (User ID, password, credit card or account number) by clicking on a link to a Web page.
Beware: Spoofed Links
A phishing e-mail message may contain a clickable Web link:
(Actually links to main technology page - NOT Paypal)
Unfortunately, it is very easy for an individual to write computer code that displays a legitimate-looking Web link that will take you to a completely different (fake) Web site.
If you do click on a forged Web link, you will probably be taken to a Web site that may look like an official company page - complete with logos and features of the official site. However, this is actually a page that is designed to collect your personal information.
Providing passwords, Social Security numbers or other personal information may make you a victim of identity theft.
Other Scams
Do not open unsolicited file attachments
In addition to e-mail messages that "phish" for financial information, messages can also have attachments that contain viruses. Clicking (opening) an infected attachment can launch a virus onto your PC that can also be sent to all of the e-mail contacts found on your machine.
Some viruses can take over your PC, forcing it to become a "bot" that is used to send spam and/or infected e-mail messages. To avoid infection by viruses, delete suspicious e-mail messages immediately.
Protect Yourself
Don't open suspicious e-mail messages - Legitimate companies will NEVER ask you to provide personal information - like passwords or financial account information - via e-mail.
Don't click on links to financial companies from within e-mail messages - If you feel that you must check out your personal information on a Web site, go to your browser's Address window and type in the Web address there. For example, type in http://www.ebay.com.
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