If you've ever got an email saying " your internet banking password has expired, click on the link below to change your password " and followed the instructions, you've probably been the victim of a phishing scam and someone, somewhere is using your stolen identity for criminal purposes. Phishing scams rely on social engineering -mails that create a social interaction to trick you into revealing confidential information without sufficiently validating the source. The Nigerian Scam is a well-know example of a phishing email that entices victims to pay a lot of money against the promise of a lucrative job or lottery.
* There's an email with a link (or attachment ) to a bollywood screensaver.You download it and it is a trojan, a program that sniffs out user ID's password and credit card numbers from your computer.
*You get a mail from a friend who is "stranded " in a foreign country to transfer money to him . You do that and realise his email account had been hacked.
* You get an email saying you've won a lottery and you need to transfer money to get the clearance of funds.You do so,then realise the entire thing is a fake.
* Don't respond to email notifications by clicking on any link.It could be take you to a fake website .Go directly to your bank's website.
* Disable default loading of images or scripts embedded in the email, this is used to validate your email address and infect your system .
* Report a phishing attack to the bank or the institute the email is impersonating.
* Do not click, open or download any link/file from an unknown sender.
*Never send your account details credit card information or passwords over email.
* The Google toolbar has an anti-phishing feature that can tell you which sites have been phished.
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| Types of Identity Theft |
YOU'VE BEEN PHISHED :
* You get an email, supposedly from your bank,asking you to change your password. The link leads you to a fake site and you enter your banking details.* There's an email with a link (or attachment ) to a bollywood screensaver.You download it and it is a trojan, a program that sniffs out user ID's password and credit card numbers from your computer.
*You get a mail from a friend who is "stranded " in a foreign country to transfer money to him . You do that and realise his email account had been hacked.
* You get an email saying you've won a lottery and you need to transfer money to get the clearance of funds.You do so,then realise the entire thing is a fake.
PROTECT YOURSELF :
* Check for https:// in the address bar and check if the site has a valid SSL certificate before submitting any personal information .* Don't respond to email notifications by clicking on any link.It could be take you to a fake website .Go directly to your bank's website.
* Disable default loading of images or scripts embedded in the email, this is used to validate your email address and infect your system .
* Report a phishing attack to the bank or the institute the email is impersonating.
* Do not click, open or download any link/file from an unknown sender.
*Never send your account details credit card information or passwords over email.
* The Google toolbar has an anti-phishing feature that can tell you which sites have been phished.
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