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Word Count: 661 Gone Phishing
While there are sites where you can forward these poison pills, your only
real protection, is you. You retain the power of the delete button, use it
wisely.
Believe it or not, there are rascals inhabiting this very planet, their
consequence emanates from under the woodwork everywhere, and arrives without
warning at your inbox.
These communiqués, in the form of emails, are simply the result of people who
have gone “phishing,” not to be confused with the term “gone fishing,” a
practice no one seems to object to except maybe the fish. Still these rogues are
after a fish, and the fish my friend is you!
Phishing employs both technical schemes and reliance on your lack of caution, to
gain your personal identity and financial information data.
The way they hook their victim is through a cloaked link (the bait) leading
their unsuspecting fish, that’s you, to a counterfeit website carefully designed
to trick their catch (you) into divulging private financial data such as, credit
card numbers, usernames, passwords, social security numbers, and so forth.
These traps are intermingled with everyday spam, or whatever passes as spam,
littering your inbox. In reality, ordinary spam is merely bothersome at worst,
requiring its disposal through excessive use of the delete key, yet phishing can
be far more destructive.
These deceptive ploys fraught with harmful intentions are daily appearing in
mail boxes everywhere, arriving from outside and inside the country highlighting
the Internets lack of policing and our peril.
An email message can be a useful and handy tool, yet it’s tailor-made for this
type of villain. The reminder you receive can appear as a genuine concern from a
business you are doing commerce with, and have already entrusted your personal
information.
The subject line of these bogus emails reads something like, “We suspect an
unauthorized transaction on your account,” then sets the hook by declaring only
“good intentions” by stating, “To ensure your account is not compromised, please
click the link below and confirm your identity.”
Or, the phony email might assert that, “During our regular verification of
accounts we couldn’t verify your information.” This phrase is calculated to put
you into a panic, then comes the bait, please click here to update and verify
your information.” And, if you do, they win!
And yes, I am not too proud to admit a close friend of mine, in his newbie days,
fell prey to this blatant deception. Come to think of it, his name and
description is curiously the same as mine. Oh well, I know it couldn’t have been
me, as I wouldn’t fall for such a ruse. Then again!
Following this incident, I have developed a simple rule, I never respond through
any email allegedly from anyone I’m doing business with, regardless of my lack
of suspicion. Where I feel it’s of proper concern, I go directly through my
browser to the site, enter and check it out.
This advice I offer you like a brother, never react directly with any message
that poses a serious concern and provides a “convenient” link for you to deposit
your critical information. It could be the most costly mistake of your life.
While there are sites where you can forward these poison pills, your only real
protection, is you. Don’t rely on any company, notwithstanding their plausible
concerns, for in the end, you retain the power of the delete button, use it
wisely.
By the bye, phishing is often referred to as “spoofing,” what a harmless
expression. As if, “sure I stole your identity, cleaned out your bank account,
left you with huge financial losses to overcome, but hey, I was only spoofing!”
Joe Myna is webmaster at www.anezbizz.com www.ahow2.com and abbarn.com, involved
in direct marketing for the past 30 years. Mr. Myna first went online in 1996.
Mr. Myna is author of "Internet Profits - The Quick Way" Download at
http://www.anezbizz.com/quick.htm
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