Phishing attacks can be launched every time you open an email. If you don't take precautions, you may be unable to recover from a phishing attack for months or even years. Are you aware of phishing? How can you protect yourself and your family from it?
Phishing is a crime where scammers (sometimes called phishers) attempt to steal your personal information in a fraudulent way. This is usually done via phishing emails. You will receive a phishing mail that you believe is from an authentic source such as your bank, eBay, or Paypal. This will take you to a website where you can confirm or update your personal data. These emails will appear real because they will include the company logo as well as other fictitious facets like email addresses and authentic company names.
You will usually see some language that indicates urgency to click on the provided link. You can indicate that your account has been compromised and that you need to act immediately. If you don't update your information promptly, your account could be closed or suspended. This is usually a sign that the email is phishing.
The email directs you to the company's website via a link that may seem very real. You may be surprised to find that you were sent to a URL that is not a.org,.net or the actual company url address. Or that the url is only one letter from the real domain name.
You may have received a redirect to another URL, but the site you see may not be the one you expected to see. It is crucial to pay attention to your browser's bar and look for httpS:// in the URL address. To make it stand out, I capitalized the "s". This is the one thing you need to be looking out for.
Phishers can try to get all kinds of information from you. Not least your username and password. They can then access your actual accounts using these credentials. They may also try to get your full name, address, credit card and bank numbers. These scammers will have an easier time committing identity theft with this information. This could lead to your bank account being emptied, your credit card limit increased, new credit cards issued in your name, and even bank http://edition.cnn.com/search/?text=what is phishing loans taken out in you name.
You don't know about them until they are too late. You never know what other fraud they might commit with your financial information.
How can you protect yourself against identity theft and phishing? First, it is possible that the email address you receive from phishing scammers may be "Dear Customer" or a salutation other than your actual name. Your name is probably known by your bank or credit card company. Any email that gives you a deadline or a sense of urgency should be avoided. Never click on any link in an email. You can bookmark a link or enter the domain name/address of your company directly into your browser.
If you feel suspicious, take out all your documents and call the company number to speak to an actual person. Never call the number you received in an email. This scam also includes bogus telephone numbers. The person on the other end may ask what is phishing for confidential information, indicating that they are only checking it.
Know that there is legislation being passed around the world to combat phishing. To combat such scams, phishing filters and other technology are constantly being improved. You can educate yourself and protect yourself against future phishing attacks by staying up to date with the latest trends in Phishing.