Avoid Phishing

Don't fall to  “phishing.” Phishing is a scam where spam or pop-up messages trick you into giving out your credit card numbers, bank account number, Social Security number, passwords, or other sensitive information.

Phishing starts with an email or pop-up message that looks like it's from from a business or organization you deal with – typically your bank (or some bank), a bill payment service or a government agency. The message asks you to “update” or “validate” your information. It might urge you to respond to keep your account active. The message directs you to a Web site that looks just like the legitimate organization’s website, but it isn’t. And you end up providing enough information for the crooks to empty your bank account or steal your identity. You've been "phished"

Here are some tips to help you from getting hooked by a phishing scam:

• Real companies don’t ask for financial or personal information via email. If you are concerned about your account, contact the organization in the email using a telephone number you know to be good, or open a new Internet browser window and type in the company’s correct Web address. Don’t follow a link in the webpage or cut and paste the link from the message. If the link point to a website whose url is not that of the organization you thought it was, the email is definitely part of a phishing scam.
• If the email sends you a website asking for financial or personal information make sure that the website is secure. Look for a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a URL for a website that begins “https:” (the “s” stands for “secure”). If you don't see these on the page where you're about to enter your information, it's probably part of a phishing scam. Be careful though, no indicator is foolproof. Phishers have even copied security icons.
• Use anti-virus software and firewalls and keep them up to date. Some phishing emails contain software that can secretly monitor your activities on the Internet without your knowledge. Anti-virus software and a firewall can protect you from inadvertently accepting such unwanted files. Keep your operating system updated as well to close holes in the system that phishers could exploit.
• Report suspicious activity to the FTC. If you believe you’ve been scammed, file your complaint at www.ftc.gov, and then visit the FTC’s Identity Theft Web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from ID theft.
• Visit www.ftc.gov/spam to learn other ways to avoid email scams and deal with deceptive spam.