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Clean Up > Prevent Phishing
Prevent Online Scams (Phishing)
Phishing a technique used by criminals and
scam-artists to trick users into giving up their
personal and sensitive information such as bank account
information, username and passwords, financial data, and
social security numbers. Phishers, the name given
to those criminals, will use spam emails and harmful
websites disguised as legitimate businesses (such as a
bank website).
Phishers try to trick users into giving up their
personal information by masquerading as a legitimate
financial institution - for example, you might receive
an email that appears to have come from a trusted
sources such as your bank, but in reality it is a scam
email trying to coax your username and password out of
you. These fake emails are very convincing - often
marked with authentic-looking bank name and logos.
If a user clicks on any of the links in the email, they
will be redirected to a spoof-website that is just
another way a criminal phisher will try to trick a user
into letting their guard down and giving up their
personal data. Often, the phisher will also mask
the fake-website URL so that even the web address may
look real.
Phishing
can result in stolen identities or even a bank account being compromised and
all the funds stolen. But, there are things you can do to prevent phishing
attacks. |
Beware - Scam Website!
Example of a Phishing Site Posing as the Official HSBC Website
Today, phishers
will engage in a tactic that tricks a user by creating a
false sense of security -- address bar spoofing is where the
actual website URL of the phishing website is hidden and the
user is made to believe they are actually visiting their
bank's authentic website. The only way to confirm the
authenticity of the website is by right-clicking anywhere on
the phishing page and then clicking Properties to reveal the
web pages properties and real URL.
1. Don't click on email attachments:
Most viruses and worms arrive via email attachments. Many of them are
spring-loaded to execute as soon as you click on them. Common dangerous
file extensions include - .bat, .com, .exe, .pif, .scr, and .vbs. Your
best bet is to avoid email attachments unless you know exactly what the file is.
2. Be suspicious of email return
addresses: Since phishing attacks attempt to trick you into believing
that the email is coming from a trusted source, be very suspicious of an email's
return address. Don't just assume that because the email return address in
the message header says a certain company that it is in fact from that company.
The fact of the matter is that most financial institutions do NOT email their
clients to ask for account number confirmation or social security numbers or any
other personal information.
3. Be suspicious of the email message:
Fake phishing emails will attempt to get you to type in your account
information, financial information, or personal data into an online form so that
the phisher can capture your information and then use it against you. The
message may even contain links to a counterfeit version of the company's Web
site, complete with genuine-looking graphics and corporate logos. View all
emails in plain text (without any html coding and without any images). If
you still have questions about the email or one of your financial accounts,
simply call the institution directly and speak with customer service.
Ensure you scan all incoming
email attachments for viruses. Only open attachments you need or are
familiar with (from friends or family). And make sure you turn off the
feature in your email client that allows for the automatic downloading of
pictures. Also, turn of the auto-preview function.
4. Be suspicious of the link: Phishing
emails will include a link that appears to lead you to a financial website or
other website you may do business with. Although the link looks genuine,
it is easy to disguise a link and have it deliver you to a counterfeit website
that is masquerading as your bank's website. Be suspicious of any email
asking you to re-confirm your personal or sensitive information online - even if
the website looks genuine.
Banks and Internet
Service Providers simply don't lose your personal
information and then send e-mail requests for you to re-enter
your information online. Something else that should raise
your eyebrow is that the link text and the real underlying URL don't match. Always
examine log-in Web pages and their URLs closely. Do not access the company
website by clicking on links in your emails, instead type the web address
directly into your browser or use a bookmark from within your internet browser.
Ensure the bank or financial website you are logging onto is secure (look for
the "s" at the end of https:// in the website address ).
Also, look for the secure connection icon (a small lock) in the upper left of
your browser.
5. Don't download or install anything: Some phishing attacks create a pop-up warning that prompts you to download a
"browser plug-in." Do not download this! Doing so can result in a
flurry of pop-ups, undesirable toolbars, a home-page hijacking, or worse.
If you are suspicious of an email or a call to download a plugin or install a
program, visit online verification websites such as www.snopes.com to expose potential email
hoaxes.
6. Internet Explorer anti-phishing
tools: IE 7.0 (or greater) includes anti-phishing tools. This tool is an
online filter (must be activated by the user) that verifies commonly phished
websites including Paypal, Ebay, etc. Internet Explorer will verify each
of these websites and check them against possible phishing sites. You must
have IE 7's automatic anti-phishing filter and automatic certificate revocation
enabled, for this feature to work. To determine if a website is a reported
phishing website or not, the Phishing Filter will check the address of the
website you are trying to visit on a Microsoft server to see if it’s a reported
phishing site.
Article: Think Before You Click
to Avoid Viruses and Scams - Read PC World
article
If you have a wireless internet connection in
your home, you should check out our section on how to secure your wireless network for detailed instructions and advice on data encryption and wireless router
security.
Clean Up Steps:
1. Quick Fixes
2. Eliminate Spyware
3. Anti-Virus Scan
4. Set-Up a Firewall
5. Update your PC
6. Backup your Data
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