When You Go Surfing, Avoid Phishing

We are all aware of scams and phony emails, but can you really recognize the difference between a bogus email and a real one?

So what is phishing?

Phishing is a technique where scammers try to obtain personal information by creating and sending out email messages that look like legitimate business correspondence. A popular example of phishing is receiving an email posing as legitimate communication from your financial institution. Your bank will never, ever send you an email asking you to confirm your account or any of your personal information.

A lot of these emails look authentic because scammers use their logos, taglines and branding in a convincing manner. Do not be fooled. If something looks suspicious, do not open it. Delete it from your inbox. If you ever have specific questions about any of your online accounts, place a call to your financial institution to confirm any personal information.

Scammers target you because you know your passwords and delicate account information, like credit card and account numbers. Someone tries to use you to hack into your own account.

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Always protect your online information. If something looks shady or sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The next time you go surfing, avoid phishing at all costs.

Related articles

• Tax Scam: How to Identify and Prevent the IRS Phishing Scam (taxdebthelp.com)
• National Consumer Protection Week: Phishing (boston.cbslocal.com)
• Phishing scammers finally discover Pinterest (agbeat.com)
• The Latest in Facebook Phishing (thesecuritysamurai.com)
• Big Phish, Small Phish (andyblumenthal.wordpress.com)

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