HOW TO DETECT A PHISHING ATTEMPT?

Phishers cast a big enough net to catch a few fish.Make sure you are not their catch with these simple steps.Criminals phish for trouble through bulk emails or instant messages.The target victim is told to click a link or provide information.The phishing email usually pretends to be from a service provider you trust.You are told that there is some problem with your account which you need to set right,or else you are presented a situation that requires you to verify the account. If you fall for it ,and reveal your credit card information ,you could soon expect some charges ,say security experts.The criminals may also sell your card,or destroy your credit history. Experts say there are some tell-tale signs of phishing scams you should aware of.

TELL-TALE SIGNS OF PHISHING SCAMS

Security researchers note that the spammed email from phishers nearly always begin with a generic way to address you,Instead of addressing you by your name.Eg:
<<
Dear Online Service User:

Dear Bank Customer:

Dear Credit Card Account Holder:

Dear Personal Club Member:

Greetings!

Welcome!

Warning!

Security Alert!

>>
Almost always,they ask you to verify or confirm your account.Experts say that legitimate companies will never ask you to verify the following information online:

• Pin Numbers
• Passwords
• User Names
• Bank Account Numbers
• Credit Card Numbers

Make sure that the URL printed in the email messages that of your real service provider. Match the URL again at the site where you land after clicking on the link. Also, pay attention to the log of the service provider. Experts say that for some reason, phishing letters are marked by their poor language and bad grammar .So be alert for these tell-tale signs.

Some times, these criminals provide legitimate links but hijack you to land on a different site from where you thought were going. So don't forget to look at the URL of your final destination to make sure it's that of your service provider. Check whether the site you reached has a privacy policy, uses https protocol and has the lock icon of the secure sockets layer (SSL).

Sometimes the criminals manage to include the names of the legitimate service providers as a sub-domain within their site. Again look at the URL carefully to find out where you are going. Many browsers have built-in phishing and malware protection facility .In Internet Explorer, it is called Smart Screen Filter, and in Chrome browser it is called Phishing and Malware Protection.Make sure these are turned on by checking the settings.
e.o.m

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