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Phishing

Internet fraud is a plague that runs rampant in our modern world. Every nook and cranny of the internet is overfilled with frauds looking to take you for every penny you're worth. However, the good news is that much of this fraud, such as phishing, is easy to avoid as long as you're aware of what to look for. Always keeping an eye out and a hand on that wallet (figuratively speaking, of course) can help to save you from losing thousands of dollars in fraud scams.

We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account.
To ensure that your account is not compromised,
please click the link below and confirm your identity.”

“During our regular verification of accounts, we couldn't verify your information.
Please click here to update and verify your information.”

Above is an example of an all too common example of a phishing scam. These scams are sent to you from companies such as Paypal or online banking sources that you deal with commonly. Assuming this is real, users are naturally worried that their accounts with these institutions are compromised and, following their first reaction, click to verify the information as requested. What they don't realize is that, by clicking the links in the e-mails, they are actually being led to a site set up by scammers who seek to steal your account information and even money right out of your pocket.

These scammers set up their websites to look exactly similar to the ones they are based off of. They are so well done that most people would never notice any differences. How do you prevent yourself from falling victim to such an attack? It's quite simple really, and merely involves being cautious at all times and not giving in to those reactions. Before rushing in to click links in ANY e-mails you receive, it is better to load up your internet explorer and type in the website you want to visit and log in by hand. If there really is a problem with your account, a message will also be shown to you in some way when you log in to your account.

What this means is simple: don't click on links in e-mails and never, ever give out any information in response to an e-mail that you received without requesting. Most sites, such as Paypal, send out regular notices containing these same warnings. They tell you ahead of time they will never request information of you randomly through e-mail and they advise to never click on links in the e-mails you receive. It is always better to open up an internet browser and visit the real site and see if the problem is a real one or if a scammer is trying to take advantage of you.

Many people take these things too lightly. They don't listen to the advice and would rather take the easy way out by simply clicking on the link. Or, even worse, they aren't even aware of these threats that can lead to problems such as identity theft and their very own cash being stolen. This should not be taken lightly, not by any means. Identity theft is a real and serious problem and it can happen to anybody. Keep your guard up, be smart, be cautious, and the potential problems that can occur from scams such as phishing will never happen to you.

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