Home > Buyer Beware > Phishing scams: Don't Get Hooked

The newest tactic used by some really bad people to steal your personal information is called "phishing." You've probably received a phishing email. It comes to your inbox looking like an official email from a company like eBay, Citi Bank, Discover, or PayPal. It links you to a site that looks just like the company site, but it's actually a fake site that just collects your personal information to be used in identity theft.

How do you prevent yourself from becoming a victim of a phishing scam? It's really very easy. First of all, a major financial company would never email you to solicit personal information. Most phishing emails make you think there is an urgent need to immediately update or change your information. Again, a real company would never do this. There are also a lot of visual clues to look for:

• Suspicious-looking links that don't contain the name of the company in the URL
• Misspellings in the email to avoid spam filters
• Unprofessional writing style
• A URL that starts with http (legitimate sites use https, meaning its secure)

Everything listed above is a dead giveaway that a phisher is trying to steal your information. Even if you miss everything above, there is one thing you can do that prevents you from being scammed: never click a link in an email to go to one of these sites. Type the company's URL into your browser and then enter your username and password on the login page. This way you know you are at the genuine web site of the company. A couple other no-no's:

• Never fill out a form that is within an email
• Never send personal information in an email

If you are still unsure about the legitimacy of an email or web site, call the company and ask.

If you think you have received a phishing email, report it so that others don't get scammed. Forward the email to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov and the company that is being spoofed (most all companies have an address where you can send fake emails). You can also file a complaint with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center of the FBI at www.ifccfbi.gov.