Don't go phish: new internet scam is no game.It's hook line, and sinker Sinker A bond whose payments are provided by the issuer's sinking fund. Notes: A portion of these bonds are retired by the issuer each year. See also: Sinking Fund, Super Sinker Sinker : Phishing--a new high-tech scare that deceives you into disclosing personal information that exposes you to identity theft and fraud. Like fishermen who cast their line, "phishers" do the same with phony communications, hoping to get one bite from the millions they've contacted (see "Online Banking," this issue). E-mail and pop-up messages designed to look like valid communications from companies or organizations you would normally deal with such as your bank will ask you to update or validate persona] information, like a credit card number. Once you do, "phishers" then use it to commit fraud in your name. If you come across a phishing scheme, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission or the Internet Fraud A crime in which the perpetrator develops a scheme using one or more elements of the Internet to deprive a person of property or any interest, estate, or right by a false representation of a matter of fact, whether by providing misleading information or by concealment of Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI and the National White-Collar Crime white-collar crime, term coined by Edward Sutherland for nonviolent crimes committed by corporations or individuals such as office workers or sales personnel (see white-collar workers) in the course of their business activities. Center, at www.ifccfbi.gov/. Here are some tips to keep phishers at bay: 1 Authenticate (1) To verify (guarantee) the identity of a person or company. To ensure that the individual or organization is really who it says it is. See authentication and digital certificate. (2) To verify (guarantee) that data has not been altered. E-mail Messages: Never click on a link inside an email, rather type it into your browser. Otherwise, call the company contacting you to verify. 2 Install Web Browser The program that serves as your front end to the Web on the Internet. In order to view a site, you type its address (URL) into the browser's Location field; for example, www.computerlanguage.com, and the home page of that site is downloaded to you. Tool Bar: Some tool bars, like www.earth link.net/earthlinktoolbar, protect you by alerting you before you visit a fraudulent site. 3 Update Browser: One browser that fights the most sophisticated schemes is Firefox (www.mozilla.org), but you can make your current browser as capable by enabling it to automatically download security patches A fix to a program that eliminates a vulnerability exploited by malicious hackers. See vulnerability and patch. . 4 Monitor Your Accounts Monthly: Be sure to log into all accounts monthly to check statements and make sure all transactions are legitimate. |
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