Phishing Scams Could Take You for Thousands

If you aren’t already aware, there is an extremely common email and website scam known as “phishing”, which is the practice of distributing and publishing email messages and websites that are designed to look like legitimate sites. They are designed to deceive the reader into giving up valuable personal information like usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, bank account information, or social security numbers. There are many different techniques and tactics that thieves will design to dupe the reader into submitting your information, which can then be used to gain access to your personal and financial information. Most of these tactics involve unsolicited email messages, and are usually sent repeatedly and from several companies at a time. The emails are being sent fraudulently using the names of many different highly recognizable business names, financial institutions, and government agencies.

There are some similarities between the spam emails, the most common emails are sent to you claiming that your eBay, PayPal, Bank of America, or Chase Bank account has been compromised or is being updated? Education is the key to preventing this crime from happening to you, so consider yourself warned if you hadn’t already caught on to the abundance of emails flooding into your inbox. Typically they will refer to you as “customer” or use your email address to salute you instead of your username, which is typically how your banking institution or eBay and PayPal accounts. This should be the first signal. Many of the links will lead to fraudulent or fake websites that look like the real McCoy. You perceive the website as legitimate, and enter your information, and – poof! Your money’s gone. Phishing is one of the most invasive, fastest growing types of spam affecting the internet world-wide. Businesses are particularly at risk due to the assets a company can hold. Microsoft offers a guide to keeping your business from being “Hooked by Phishing”, providing tips on protecting your company from identity and data thieves.

I just downloaded the new Internet Explorer 7, and identity theft seems to have been taken into consideration when the browser was updated. The new version sports a new “phishing filter” that functions in a way as a security and social networking ID theft deterrent. It works by scanning the websites that you visit, and warns you if they appear to be potentially suspicious. There is also up-to-the-hour online information through an online service and blocks you from having your personal information transferred if a site is known as a phishing website. Not only does it act as an early warning signal, but blocks you from potential phishing sites known for phishing activity. The filter reports phishing websites from both end users and 3rd party data sources, helping to protect users from sites that could be engaging in identity and data theft.
You can get the new Phishing Filter Add-In by installing updates for Internet Explorer. Simply click the “Help” list on your browser tools in the top of your window, and then click “Check for Updates”.

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ID theft, identity protection, news, people, phishing, safety, scams

Tips for Preventing Identity Theft

Knowing some of the things that are considered private information can help you to keep your identity safe. It’s not enough anymore just to protect your social security number, but becoming more and more likely that someone can gain enough personal information to do some hefty damage on your credit. If your information ends up in the wrong hands, it can be used or sold for future use. Periodically checking your credit report can help you to keep track of how your information is being used, and by whom.

If you’re under the impression that your social security number is the only way that someone can steal your identity, it’s probably time you know that things are different now. In today’s world, a simple phone number could be enough information for someone to rack up some bills in your name. Key pieces of your personal information can be used to order services such as phone, electric, or cable. Identity thieves also use the identities of others to obtain loans, cars, credit cards, or make big ticket purchases. Some have even gotten a driver’s license under their assumed identity.

Knowing how your information ends up in the hands of would-be thieves can help you to protect your information, and helps you to keep control over your credit status. Many people readily fill out online forms, without checking to be sure that the website is legitimate. Web users are asked to fill out online forms for just about everything, but there are some that should be avoided like the plague. Here are some of the types of websites that should send up a warning flag, what they might ask for, and how you can recognize their warning signals. These websites are usually sent in an email:

• Your bank will not send emails requesting your username and password in order to update their records, because of a security breach, or for any other reason.
• If you get an email requesting your username or password for any type of online account, report it as spam immediately.
• eBay and PayPal will always address you by your username, and not “valued customer” or “PayPal user”.
• If you receive and suspicious emails, such as a message from an eBay member when you have not recently sold or purchased anything on eBay, forward the suspicious emails to either eBay or PayPal, and report the email as spam.
• The ambassador of Nigeria, or any other country, would not email you to get assistance, and all you have to do is deposit a check of $35 million into your bank account, with the promise of sending a $25million wire transfer back, to an account in the U.K. This email could come from a fake minister, ambassador, Nigerian royals such as prince or princess, or could even come from a supposed heir to a fortune.
• Whatever their story, and it’s usually a long one, disregard the possibility of becoming rich. Their “cashier checks” are generally fake or forged, and will bounce. Their hopes lie in the error of the naive, by depositing the fake check, immediately withdrawing the amount you were instructed, and instantly wiring them the money. The check may not show as having bounced for up to two weeks, overdrawing your bank account by millions.
• While it is possible to purchase prescription medications over the internet, it is highly unlikely that you would be introduced to them through an uninvited email.
• Your best bet is to ask people you trust, double check any U.S. business through the Better Business Bureau (BBB), or do a Google search, and find the company that seems the most trustworthy, and has a secure site. (i.e., https://)

It’s no small deal to have your identity stolen, and it can cause you years of credit problems if it happens to you. While some creditors are aware that it happens, and may help you to restore your credit, others have been cracking down on consumers who try to pass of bad debt as the work of an identity thief.

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ID theft, identity protection, people, safety, scams