Up to 500,000
individuals are victims each year of identity
theft.
Three of the
most common methods thieves use to steal your identity: Phishing,
Spoofing, Pharming
Phishing
Phishing is
the use of fraudulent emails to direct customers to fraudulent web
sites
that resemble legitimate bank sites.
"Phishing" pronounced
"Fishing" is exactly that. Crooks are trying to steal your identity,
passwords,
and money by fishing. The lure (bait) can come in many forms. The
most popular method of "phishing" is to send out emails claiming to be
from a bank or financial institution and with a link and a fake reason
why you need to access your account.
These emails
can appear to be legitimate because the crook will steal the graphics
from
the bank or financial institution they are targeting. The links can
also
appear to be legitimate by embedding the .html into a email and using
mouseover
javascripts to display a false web address.
These thieves
may even provide a 1-800 number to call. (If you receive a suspicious
email,
contact your bank directly).
Spoofing
Spoofing involves
the generation of the fraudulent web sites, designed to mirror the
legitimate
site.
Pharming
Pharming redirects
every web-surfer legitimately trying to reach a compromised site to a
fraudulent,
"spoofed" web site.
Tips
to avoid becoming a victim |
Phishing
Examples | Report Suspicious Emails| Additional
Help
While there
is no 100% guarantee that anyone is 100% safe from becoming a victim of
identity theft, there are
several
things you can do.
Get LifeLock ! Identity
Theft Services. LifeLock goes far beyond Credit Monitoring on your behalf. LifeLock
provides a proactive identity theft service, specializing in the
prevention of identity theft rather than the reporting of it.