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The Bait:
Email or pop-up messages that claim to be from a business or organization
you may deal with – say, an Internet service provider (ISP), bank, online
payment service, or even a government agency. |
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The message may ask you to "update," "validate," or "confirm" your account
information or face dire consequences.
The Catch:
Phishing is a scam where Internet fraudsters send spam or pop-up
messages to reel in personal and financial information from unsuspecting
victims. The messages direct you to a website that looks just like a
legitimate organization's site, or to a phone number purporting to be real.
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But these are bogus and exist
simply to trick you into divulging your personal information so the
operators can steal it, fake your identity, and run up bills or commit
crimes in your name. Your Safety Net:
Make it a policy never to respond to emails or pop-ups that ask for your
personal or financial information, click on links in the message, or call
phone numbers given in the message. Don't cut and paste a link from the
message into your Web browser, either: phishers can make links look like
they go one place, but then actually take you to a look-alike site. If you
are concerned about your account, contact the organization using a phone
number you know to be genuine, or open a new Internet browser session and
type in the company's correct Web address yourself.
Using anti-virus and anti-spyware software and a firewall, and keeping them
up to date, can help.
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