My Computer Mechanic

Phishing

A phishing expedition is an email that is asking you for personal information. The information that most phishing expeditions want is your full name, Social Security Number, Credit Card Numbers complete with the 3-digit code on the back, etc. The authors of these emails use several techniques to get this information from you. They want to steal your identity and buy things "on your dime." What is most interesting about some phishing schemes is that they try to make you think someone has been trying to "steal" your identity and you need to "verify" your true identity to them. But, in fact, they are the ones who are actually trying to steal your identity. The current most common technique these folks are using is to make an email look like it is from:

1. A legitimate bank where you may or may not have an account.

2. EBay.

3. PayPal.

4. A department store where you may or may not have an account.

5. An airline from which you did not purchased a ticket.

6. A person in a foreign country that wants to send you money and pay you a commission.

It is very easy to get the graphics necessary to make a phishing email look legitimate. However, there are a few ways to tell a legit email from a phishing email:

1. The sender's email address does not relate to the company that is sending the email.

2. NO FINANCIAL COMPANY EVER ASKS FOR PERSONAL INFORMATION IN AN EMAIL!

3. The email is written in plain type fonts and the grammar has a few mistakes. (One phishing email I got actually told a story about how he was a foreign national and please excuse his "not very good English.")

4. Internet links in the email are masks for the actual location they would take you.

So, what do you do if you think that an email you have received is on a phishing expedition? DELETE IT, it cannot hurt you. There is nothing in one of these emails that is malicious. The very fact that you even have the slightest question the about validity of an email should make you delete it. If you still need some professional advice, forward the email to me and I will examine it and get back to you.

We are always here to help.