Phishing is an increasingly common type of spam that can lead to theft of your personal details such as credit card numbers or online banking passwords.
Phishing attacks work by the scam artist sending “spoofed” emails that appear to come from a legitimate website that you have online dealings with such as a bank, credit card company or ISP – any site which requires users to have a personal identity or account. The email may ask you to reply with your account details in order to “update security” or for some other reason.
The phishing email may also direct you to a spoofed website or pop-up window which looks exactly like the real site, but has been set up for the sole purpose of stealing personal information. Unsuspecting people are then often fooled into handing over credit card numbers, passwords or other details.
According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, phishers are able to convince up to five per cent of recipients to respond.
How to protect yourself:
Never respond to emails that request personal financial information
Banks or e-commerce companies generally personalise emails, while phishers do not. Phishers often include false but sensational messages (“urgent – your account details may have been stolen”) in order to get an immediate reaction. Reputable companies don’t ask
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