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| The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified "phishing" as the "hottest and most troubling new scam on the Internet." What is Phishing? Phishing is a scam initiated via e-mail. Messages are "fishing" for personal and financial information. Most often, e-mails appear to be from reputable companies (internet service providers, telephone companies, etc), banks, and other financial organizations. The e-mail message often gives a story of the bank needing to update its personal information database or a financial institution claiming your personal data had been lost. Who Phishes? Hackers and Scammers looking for personal and financial information use phishing as an effective method of gathering information. Phishers imitate legitimate companies in e-mails to entice people to share passwords or credit-card numbers. Recent victims include: ? Bank of America History of Phishing The term phishing comes from the fact that Internet scammers are using increasingly sophisticated lures as they "fish" for users' financial information and password data. The most common ploy is to copy the Web page code from a major site - such as AOL - and use that code to set up a replica page that appears to be part of the company's site. (This is why phishing is also called spoofing.) A fake e-mail is sent out with a link to this page, which solicits the user's credit card data or password. When the form is submitted, it sends the data to the scammer while leaving the user on the company's site so they don't suspect a thing. Avoid Phishing Fortunately, common sense can save you from giving away your personal information. For example, be aware for the company requesting information. I have received e-mails from banks I have never had business with. Know that your bank or ISP will never ask for your information out of the blue. Banks do not update their databases and misplace information. Tips To Avoid Phishing ? If you receive an unexpected e-mail saying your account will be shut down unless you confirm your billing information, do not reply or click any links in the e-mail body. ? Look for words misspelled or other grammatical mistakes. ? Before submitting financial information through a Web site, look for the "lock" icon on the browser's status bar. It means your information is secure during transmission. ? If you are uncertain about the information, contact the company through an address or telephone number you know to be genuine. ? If you unknowingly supplied personal or financial information, contact your bank and credit card company immediately. ? Suspicious e-mail can be forwarded to uce@ftc.gov, and complaints should be filed with the state attorney general's office or through the FTC at www.ftc.gov. S. Nestor writes for StormFront Development Group, a pioneer in Internet Marketing. Contact him at snestor@stormfrontdevelopment.com
security - Google News Related Articles Message Board Security Problems Security leaks can be a big problem for any site using a message board. Hackers can actually use your message board to go in and change things on your site. This has happened to me at least four times. Once an iframe was added to every single page of one of my very large sites. Thankfully, I had it completely backed up, so all I had to do was send the pages back up to the server. Twice, the front page of one of my sites was hijacked. The entire content of the front page was replaced by some note from a hacker stating he had been there. Web Browsing - Collected Information You may not realize it, but as you are surfing the web all sorts of details are being left behind about your computer and where you have been. Most of this information is used harmlessly in website statistics, but it could also be used to profile you, or identify you as a vulnerable target for an exploit. Spyware Protection Software Spyware protection software is the easiest way of removing spyware from your computer and keeping it away. It detects and removes all pieces of spyware and adware automatically. Spyware is extremely difficult to remove manually and should only be removed with spyware protection software. Is the Internet Insecure Because of You? Long gone are the days that we could feel secure and know for certain that we had privacy. With the digital age upon us we can no longer be so sure that our privacy is secure. Recently Google has admitted their organisation holds user data indefinitely. This causes concerns as now we know Google has information on us that we do not want anyone to know about. SPYWARE - Whos Watching Who? I am in the midst of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. "The basis of optimism is sheer terror." With that attitude, I praise their skills only for the mere sake of not wanting them to defile mine, or my business. Is Adware - Spyware Putting Your Privacy at Risk Do you sometimes notice your computer running slower. Is your computer acting strange almost like its possessed? Well, it just may be plagued with Spyware. Spyware is a common term for files that are installed on your system without your knowledge. It allows companies to monitor your Internet activity. Believe it or not, Spyware is now the leading threat to our computers, and our online privacy. It's ahead of viruses. 3 Things You Must Know About Spyware 1)Spyware is on your system. Like it or not, statistically speaking, you probably have spyware on your machine right now. There are so many malicious programs floating around out there that one or two have bound to have gotten past all of your security settings. McAfee and Norton Anti Virus are both excellent programs, but even they can be beaten by the determined spyware makers and distributors. One recent computer repair man said, close to 80% of the machines that he services have spyware on them. I believe it. Spyware can be sneaky and it can install quietly without your knowledge. Your system probably has spyware on it; make sure it doesn't corrupt your data files or worse. Free Antivirus Security Software: Download Now to Eliminate Spyware, Pop Up Ads, etc. Adware. Spyware. Pesky pop up ads. Internet congestion. Computer malfunctions of every kind. Obviously, you're infected! A Basic Introduction To Spyware Spyware is the most troublesome software to appear on the Internet in recent times. When spyware infects a computer system, it may be relatively harmless or it may be devastating. Is Your Music Player Spying On You? In today's times spyware is a very serious issue and all computer users should be aware of the possible damage it can cause. It is estimated by well known industry insiders that nearly 90% of all computers are infected with some kind of spyware. This no surprise as spyware programs can be highly contagious and spread from computer to computer via emails and network exchanges rapidly. Viruses and Worms, Protection from Disaster Virus damage estimated at $55 billion in 2003. "SINGAPORE - Trend Micro Inc, the world's third-largest anti-virus software maker, said Friday that computer virus attacks cost global businesses an estimated $55 billion in damages in 2003, a sum that would rise this year. Companies lost roughly $20 billion to $30 billion in 2002 from the virus attacks, up from about $13 billion in 2001, according to various industry estimates." This was the story across thousands of news agencies desk January 2004. Out of $55 billion, how much did it cost your company? How much did it cost someone you know? Avoiding Scams: If It Sounds Too Good to Be True, It Probably Is A week or so ago, I received an inquiry from a man in Indonesia about buying multiple copies of certain items on my website. I immediately suspected fraud, so I explained that I only had one piece of each. The man, who wrote impeccable English, said that was fine. I asked why he wanted to buy so much money's worth of jewelry (it was around $250). He said it was for his wife and daughters. 8 Surefire Ways to Spot an E-Mail Identity Theft Scam! The E-Mail Identity Theft Scam is running Rampant. These E-Mail Scam artists will go to great lengths to Get Your Bank Account information and Steal your Identity. Learn how to Protect To Yourself Now! Desktop Security Software Risks - Part 1 This is the second in a series of articles highlighting reasons why we need a new model for anti-virus and security solutions. 7 Ways to Spot a PayPal Scam E-Mail Paypal is a great site and is used by many to send and receive money. Unfortunately some dishonest people are using the Popularity of Paypal to line their own pockets with gold at the expense of unsuspecting Pay Pal members. These paypal Scam Artists will try to get your Paypal ID and password so they can Login then Clean out your Paypal Account of all funds. Paypal is fully aware of this problem and is doing everything possible to stop this. Unfortunately if someone logs into an account with a valid Id and Password it is very hard for Paypal or any other secure site for that matter to stop it. As a Consumer you need to be educated so you can protect yourself. Avoid Internet Theft, Fraud and Phishing Since its birth, the Internet has grown and expanded to unprecedented, unmanageable proportions. Information, software, news, and much more flow freely through its twisted pathways. Online services such as Internet banking save time and money. However, from the depths of its vast expanse have come the dregs of society intent on preying on the new, the naïve, and the less informed. Cyber Crooks Go Phishing "Phishing," the latest craze among online evil-doers, has nothing to do with sitting at the end of a dock on a sunny afternoon dangling a worm to entice hungry catfish. What is Spyware? The most frustrating part of having Spyware on your computer is the sheer feeling of helplessness that is invoked. Your computer slows down, it no longer does what you instructed it to, it seems to have a mind of its own. You effectively have lost control of your computer. Spyware (also referred to as Adware or Malware) is software that is installed on your computer without your consent. Spyware software monitors or controls your computer use. It may be used to send you pop-up ads, redirect your computer to websites, monitor your Internet surfing, or record your keystrokes, which, in turn, could lead to identity theft. Internet Identity Theft - How You Can Shield Yourself With the advent of the World Wide Web, a whole new breed of criminals have surfaced, posing threats to more than just our material assets, but also to our very identities. Although there are a number of effective methods for protecting yourself from internet identity theft, not everyone takes the necessary steps to initiate such a plan. By tightening up your own personal security measures, you'll be far safer when you go online, and much less likely to become just another victim in the world of cyber-theft. Information Security for E-businessmen: Just a Couple of Ideas If you constantly deal with bank or electronic accounts, it must be your worst nightmare--to wake up and learn that you are a bankrupt. Some crook stole your personal data and all the money you have been sweating blood for years has flown to somebody else's account. Almost everybody must have heard that such a tradegy is called identity theft and millions of people in the USA alone suffer the same every year. Poor consolation for its victims, isn't it?  |
