Phishing (pronounced “Fishing”) is an online fraud technique used by criminals to entice you to disclose your personal information. Phishing is the fastest rising online crime method used for stealing personal finances and perpetrating identity theft. Phisher's use many different tactics to lure you, including e-mail and Web sites that mimic well-known, trusted brands. A common Phishing practice involves "spamming" recipients with fake messages that resemble a valid message from a well-known Web site or a company that the recipients might trust, such as a credit card company, bank, charity, or e-commerce online shopping site.

The purpose of fake messages is to trick consumers into providing the personal information, such as your social security number or credit card number. Often Phishing messages have deceptive links that actually take you to spoofed Web sites that urge you to enter and submit your personal information. Your personal information is used by criminals to steal your identity, your money, or both.

Many "verify your identity scams" have proliferated user's inboxes over the years attempting to garner personal information.  Many times, these scams use fear tactics to try to obtain your information. Major institutions such as eBay, AOL, and Banks have had scam artists fraudulently pose as an administrator from the institution and try to obtain your personal information leading to identity theft.  In fact, it is very common to know someone who has had their identity stolen in this manner.  Official or important subject matter will be mailed to you through regular mail, not e-mail.

PayPal Phishing Scam

EBay/PayPal Email scam

List of Recent phishing scams

AOL 'Update Your Account Billing Information' Phishing Scam

Scam Alert - Fake Credit Report Sites

Bank Scams

Citibank Phishing Scam

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Why can't Phishing sites be shut down?

Be careful not to provide ANY personal information via e-mail such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, or any other type of information via e-mail.

Shred documents such as receipts, old insurance forms, credit card statements or any document that contains personal and confidential before throwing it away.

Identity theft is running rampant and credit is big business.  It seems there's another story about it in the news every day.  There are identity theft protection products such  ProtectMyID recommended by Kim Kommando.  The FTC recently took on LifeLock because it "guaranteed" protection and the FTC found them inadequate quoting that "you could drive a truck through LifeLock's protection services."

You should check your credit report regularly. You'll find out if someone has opened credit accounts in your name. You can view what's in your file once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide agencies (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) at www.annualcreditreport.com. 

Read your bank and credit card statements to ensure no unauthorized charges appear.

Ask about security procedures whenever you are required to share your personal information.  Find out who can access your information and what measures are in place to protect your confidential information.

5 tips to Protect yourself from Identity Theft

A favorite Spammers' tactic is to hijack an account and then use it to send out thousands of Spam e-mails.  To avoid this create a complex password and never give it to anyone.

Complex passwords consist of numbers and letters uppercase and lower case.   Use a word that is not in the dictionary.

Use a Password Card  to create and remember a complex password

Make your passwords unbreakable but memorable

Create strong passwords - Microsoft online safety