| Have you received one yet? You know. The | | | | emails requesting personal information |
| email directing you to visit a familiar | | | | carefully. When reviewing your email |
| website where for some odd reason you're | | | | remember that the "From Field" can be |
| being asked to update your personal | | | | easily changed by the sender. While it |
| information? The website asks you to | | | | may look like it's coming from a company |
| verify your passwords, credit card | | | | you do business with, looks can be |
| numbers, social security number, or even | | | | deceiving. Keep in mind that phishers |
| your bank account. You recognize the | | | | will go all out in trying to make their |
| company name as one that you've done | | | | emails look as legitimate as possible. |
| business with in the past, so you click | | | | They will even copy logos or images from |
| on the "take me there" link and proceed | | | | the official site to use in their |
| to provide all the information they've | | | | emails. They also like to include a |
| requested. No problem right? Except | | | | clickable link which the recipient can |
| you find out much later that the website | | | | follow to conveniently "update" their |
| is a fraud. It was created for one | | | | information. |
| reason: to steal your personal | | | | How do you check to see if the link is |
| information. Welcome to the world of | | | | authentic? Point at the link with your |
| phishing. | | | | mouse, and then look in the bottom left |
| Phishing (pronounced as "fishing") means | | | | hand screen of your computer. The |
| to send an email to a recipient falsely | | | | actual website address to which you are |
| claiming to have an established, | | | | being directed will show up for you to |
| legitimate business. By fooling the | | | | view. This is a fast and easy way to |
| recipient into giving their private | | | | check if you are being directed to a |
| information, the phisher has in effect | | | | legitimate site. |
| stolen their identity. | | | | Also never and I mean NEVER click the |
| It's not easy to spot an email phishing | | | | links within the text of the e-mail. |
| for information. At first glance, the | | | | Delete the e-mail immediately and empty |
| email may look like it is from a | | | | the trash box in all of your e-mail |
| legitimate company. The "From" field of | | | | accounts as well. If you are truly |
| the e-mail may have the .com address of | | | | concerned that you are missing an |
| the company mentioned in the e-mail. | | | | important notice regarding one of your |
| The clickable link even appears to take | | | | accounts, then type the full URL address |
| you to the company's website, but in | | | | of the website into your browser. That |
| fact, it is a fake website built to | | | | way you can be confident that you are |
| replicate the legitimate site. | | | | being directed to the true and |
| Many of these people are professional | | | | legitimate website. |
| criminals that have spent considerable | | | | Phishing is a major weapon of choice for |
| time in creating emails that look | | | | online identity thieves. Don't get |
| authentic. Users need to review all | | | | hooked. |