What is Phishing?
Phishing Warning
Security Warning - Phishing on the Rise
Beware of Attempts to Collect Your Personal Information
What is Phishing?
Phishing is an attempt, using fraudulent e-mail or website pop-ups, to get you to divulge sensitive financial information such as credit card numbers, account numbers, user names, passwords, or social security numbers. Phishing differs from virus or worm attacks in that e-mail or pop-up itself is innocuous, and cannot grab your personal information from your system without your knowing it. Instead, phishing relies on old-fashioned con artist tricks to get you to give up the information voluntarily. This information is used to steal your identity and run up bills in your name. Phishing is on the rise, with over 2,500 active phishing sites reported in early 2005.
How does it work?
Generally the e-mail or pop-up will be cleverly crafted to look like it came from a financial institution, regulatory agency or other online company, such as PayPal or eBay that you trust. It will ask you to verify account information within the body of the email or direct you to a website that fakes the look of the company's website. Often times these fakes are very good. Any information you enter will be sent to the perpetrators of the fraud.
How do I protect myself?
The best protection against phishing scams is to be cautious in how you share sensitive financial or personal information. Be skeptical of any e-mail or pop-up that asks for personal information. Anti-SPAM filters block many phishing e-mails, and pop-up blockers can limit the number of pop-ups you get, but no technology can prevent you from falling for the con. Legitimate businesses are very aware of phishing, and do not send e-mails requesting sensitive information. Do not reply to the e-mail, or follow any of the links. If you think the request might be genuine, confirm it either by calling the company directly at a number you know, or go directly to the company's website by typing a known address in the browser window. When evaluating an e-mail message requesting personal information, try to imagine it as an unsolicited telephone call. If you wouldn't give that information over the telephone to an unknown caller, don't give it out in response to an unsolicited e-mail.
What should I do if I've given out information to Phishers?
What you do will depend on what type of information you have given out. For more information, including how you can report this crime, go to http://www.cybercrime.gov.
How can I learn more?
There are a number of sites on the web that provide information about phishing.
The Anti-Phishing working group has excellent information relating to many different types of attacks on their Consumer Advice web page, at http://www.antiphishing.org/consumer_recs2.htm.
For additional information about how to identify fraudulent emails and protect yourself go to this FTC consumer alert address, at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/phishingalrt.
IMPORTANT FRAUD WARNING: Florida Commerce will never contact you via email or phone to request account information.Because you can control the information you choose to release, you are the single best person to protect your personal information. If you should ever receive an email that appears to be suspicious, do not reply to it or click on the link it provides. Simply delete it. To report a suspicious email that uses Florida Commerce's name, you can forward it to abuse@floridacommerce.org.
