PHISHING

PHISHING

 

What is it?

 

The term phishing refers to luring techniques used by identity thieves to fish for personal information in a pond of unsuspecting Internet users. Their objective is to take this information and use it for criminal purposes such as identity theft and fraud.

 

Phishing is a general term for the creation and use by criminals of emails and websites -- designed to look like they come from well-known, legitimate and trusted businesses, financial institutions and government agencies -- in an attempt to gather personal, financial and sensitive information. 

 

Canada's Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and the United States Department of Justice are jointly issuing this special report to advise the public about the risks of responding to phishing emails and websites, and the steps to take when they encounter them.

 

How to prevent it

 

1 - Recognize it -- If you receive an unexpected email from a bank or credit card company saying that your account will be shut down if you do not confirm your billing information, do not reply or click on any links in the email. Phishers typically have one purpose in mind: to entice people to react immediately by clicking on the link and inputting their password or credit card number before they take time to think through what they are doing. Internet users need to resist that impulse. 

 

2 - Report it -- Contact your bank or credit card company if you have unwittingly supplied personal or financial information. You should also report the matter to your local police. They will often take police reports even if the crime may ultimately be investigated by another law enforcement agency. In addition, a creditor who mistakenly believes that you are the person responsible for a fraudulent transaction may want to see a copy of a police report before correcting your credit account or credit report. Finally, report your identity theft case immediately to the appropriate government and private-sector organizations. Canadian and American agencies such as these are compiling information about identity theft to identify trends and assist law enforcement agencies in potential investigations.

 

3 - Stop it -- Become familiar with the practices of your financial institutions and credit card companies. They normally will not use email to confirm an existing client's information. Keep informed of the latest advisories and steps on how to protect yourself from identity theft and fraud. A number of legitimate companies and financial institutions that have been targeted by phishing schemes have published contact information for reporting possible phishing emails as well as online notices about how their customers can recognize and protect themselves from phishing.

How to report it

In Canada:

RECOL (Reporting Economic Crime On-Line)
PhoneBusters (The Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre)
Toll free:         1 888 495-8501
Toll free fax:   1 888 654-9426
Email:  info@phonebusters.com

In the United States:

Internet Crime Complaint Center (a joint project of the FBI and National White Collar Crime Centre)

 

Source:  Public Safety Canada

 

 

Some tips to help reduce your chances of getting hooked by a phisher scam.

 

1 - Never give personal information in an e-mail, instant message or pop-up window

 

Most legitimate and established businesses will not use these methods to ask for passwords, acoount information, credit car numbers or other confidential information.

 

While browsing, be particularly suspicious of windows that don't include the address bar.  Do not enter personal information unless you're sure it is from a Web site you trust and that it takes appropriate steps to protect your data.

 

2 - Don't click a link in a pop-up window

 

If you get an e-mail, instant message or pop-up window that asks for personal information, do not click the link.  Doing so could take you to a phony site where any information you give may be sent to the scam artist who built it.

 

3 - Make sure the Web site protects your personal information and is legitimate

 

Before you enter any confidential information, find out if the Web site uses encryption to protect your data, and check to make sure you're at the site you think you are.  Phishers have ways of faking the Web address.  If you have any doubt about a site's legitimacy, be on the safe side and leave.

 

4 - Review your financial statement on a regular basis

 

Check all your credit card and bank statements regularly and log in to any online accounts, to make sure nothing is amiss.

 

5 - Improve your computer's security

 

Use a firewall, install antivirus software and update it routinely.

 

This information brought to you by:  Bell Sympatico

 

 

 

Watch this fun yet informative video about Phishing

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-ca&brand=sympatico&vid=a9fb2bef-d024-47cf-b25a-be6bf0e34de8

 

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