Phishing Scams Proliferate the Internet

3/15/2010

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Phishing scams continue to proliferate the Internet. It seems new phishing scams are emerging daily threatening the security of your personal and financial information.

What is a Phishing Scam?
These time-tested scams arrive by e-mail, text message, or chat directing recipients to follow a link or call a number to input, correct or update online account information. Would-be victims are sent to fraudulent Web sites that look legitimate. Consumers are then instructed to provide their account information and personal details.

The most sophisticated phishing scams use the logos, taglines and brands of reputable businesses and organizations in an attempt to lure you into providing them with your personal and financial information. No company and no online user is immune from becoming a target of a phishing scam. In the recent past, BBB, Facebook, Twitter, TD Bank, Royal Bank and hundreds of other reputable businesses and organizations have seen their names used in mass phishing attacks.

An emerging trend in phishing scams is a concept that is known as "spearphishing." Using the premise of phishing scams, fraudsters target a specific target audience or population, pretending to be a representative of another organization or business that the victim typically interacts with such as an employer, trade association, or government agency. For example in a recent phishing scam doctors were sent emails that appeared to come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asking doctors and patients to register in an H1N1 database.

Similarly, phishing attacks directed at senior executives and other high profile business representatives are being called "whaling" attacks.


How to Protect Yourself:
• Don’t respond to unsolicited e-mails and don’t click on e-mail links or download attachments from unknown senders.

• Always be suspicious of any email, text or chat that urgently requests you provide them with or update your personal and financial information. Phishing scams typically require that you provide information related to your username, password, birth date, Social Insurance Number (SIN) or financial information, etc.

• If you are concerned about the content in an email that you've received contact the issuing organization or business via a telephone (look the number up yourself) to ask them about the request for information.

• Avoid filling out forms in email messages that ask for personal financial information. Only enter personal financial information online via secured websites. Look for "https://" and a lock icon in the webpage browser to confirm the site is secure. However, know that phishing technology has advanced to a point where sophisticated scammers are now capable of spoofing "https://" the lock icon. To protect yourself, always manually enter (or use your personal bookmark settings) to enter the URL of the bank, online store, auction or other site, rather than depend solely on clicking on displayed links in an email.

• Install a Web browser tool bar to help protect you from linking to known fraudulent phishing related websites. These toolbars match where you are going with lists of known phisher Web sites and will alert you prior to connecting to these sites.

• Ensure that your browser has updated security features in place.

• Report "phishing" or “spoofed” e-mails to your Internet provider and to Phonebusters at 1.888 495.8501 or email info@phonebusters.com.

For more information about scams and frauds visit vi.bbb.org.

MARCH IS FRAUD PREVENTION MONTH
BBB along with a number of consumer and volunteer groups, government agencies and law enforcement organizations are using the month of March to join forces and educate Canadians on how to recognize, report and stop fraud.

Every Monday in March, BBB will be posting informative Fraud Prevention Tips at vi.bbb.org. Our theme this year is “Protecting Yourself from Online Fraud.” We will also post links to other important fraud prevention organizations.

Education and common sense are the key elements to protecting yourself from becoming a victim of fraud. Educate yourself and stay informed! Visit vi.bbb.org for more information.

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