The online scam technique known as "phishing" is not new. Phishing has plagued Internet users for several years now, but its effectiveness has caused the practice to grow to record levels among online criminals. "Phishing" describes a combination of techniques used by cyber crooks to bait people into revealing sensitive personal data such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, bank account numbers, dates of birth and more. Their techniques work so well that FraudWatchInternational.com devotes entire sections of its website just to combating online "phishing" scams.

Here's the basic pattern for a "phishing" scam. You receive a very official email that appears to originate from a legitimate source, such as your bank, eBay, PayPal, major retailer or some other well known entity. In the email it tells you that something bad is about to happen unless you act quickly. Typically it tells you that your account is about to get closed, that someone appears to have stolen your identity, or even that someone opened a fraudulent account using your name. In order to help straighten everything out, you need to click a link in the email and provide some basic account details so they can verify your identity and give you additional information.

After getting your information, these cyber-bandits can empty your bank accounts, deplete your PayPal account, run up your credit cards, open new credit accounts, assume your identity, and much worse.

"Phishing" scams work extremely well for 2 basic reasons. First, by exploiting your sense of urgency created by fear, they get you to click their link and give them your information without thinking. Second, the scammers use a variety of cloaking and spoofing techniques to make their emails and websites appear totally legitimate, making it extremely hard to spot a fake.

You can protect yourself relatively easily against this type of cyber-crime with basic software and common sense. Most of these scams get delivered to you via Spam (unsolicited email), so a good spam blocker will cut down on receiving these emails in the first place. Also, understand that your bank, credit card company, PayPal, eBay and anyone else you deal with online will never ask for your account #, username, etc. (they already have that). NEVER respond to email requests for account or personal details.

Never click the link provided in the email, but go directly to the website by typing in the main URL of the site yourself (example: www.paypal.com or www.ebay.com). Forward the email to the main email address of the website (example: support@paypal.com) or call the customer service number on the main website you typed in and ask if it is in fact legitimate. Verify all phone numbers with a phone book before calling. Finally, activate the phishing filters in your Internet Explorer 7 or FireFox web browser to help spot potential security problems.

Above all, if you receive an urgent email that looks legitimate and you want to respond, stop - wait - and think! Phishing scammers count on you acting with haste and making a mistake.

Copyright (c) 2008 Jim Edwards