Who likes to phish?

Internet bad guys, that's who. Have you ever gotten an email from your bank....or a bank...telling you there is an issue with your account? How about an email from ebay saying there is a dispute over a purchase? All have links to a webpage that ask you for private information. You think you are logging your information into a legit website, when if fact you are giving a criminal your personal info. Odds are while you are on the site is installing malware on your PC. This can be anything from a BOT, to a virus/trojan application, or a keylogger. In fact it's probably all three.

So, when I read this kind of story, I feel good that there is an on going effort to catch these scumbags. Make no mistake . Someone is trying to get your information. Don't fall for the phishing attempts.

How do you spot them? Well, the nice thing about phishing attempts is that they cater to the "lowest denominator". They dont want you to pay that much attention to what is being requested to where they are sending you. They word it in a clever way so as to send you into a panic. Many people see a phishing attempt from a financial institution about an account error, hit the link to correct the issue, input their infor before even quesitoning if they have an account their or not. So, rule #1 should be the US BANK OF WHAT? test. If you get an email telling you that your account is in trouble from a bank you have never used....delete it. Ignore it. That simple.

But what if you have an account at said bank? Simple. There are two methods. First, check your banks website. If they have online banking ( most do) there will certainly be a notice there about your account. Second, call to verify if the email is legit. Rule #2 is the WHY WOULD MY BANK ONLY EMAIL ME? test.

Another variation of phishing are the PAYPAL and eBay scammers. You get an email from PAYPAL stating there was an payment made with your account and they want to verify transaction. You are directed to URL The only URL a legitimate email from PAYPAL should send you to is http://www.paypal.com/. Anything else is an attempt to decieve you. Samething with eBay. In both cases, the safest way to verify the email is to log on to either site directly. Any information regarding your account will be made known to you.

All you have to do is be smarter than the phisher. Most people are. However, dont let them scare you away from the Internet. As long as you play by the rules, and dont expose yourself to risks...using the internet is a safe, easy and convient way to shop, pay bills and learn. Just like walking down a dark street in a bad neighborhood, you simply need to be cautious.