Continue reading »]]> The other day I got an attempt of phishing. Someone tried to get the details of my PayPal account. It was a fine-looking email that apparently came from PayPal. However, when I looked close, I could see that there was something “phishy.” In the subject line stand: “PayPal Notification: Your account is suspended.” I knew that my account with PayPal was in order, so I was immediately doubtful. Now there is a new and very alarming type of spam email. This variant is called phishing. Criminals use this to try to get careless users on the Internet to expose their account numbers and passwords. After getting an email like the one I mentioned before, it is quite logical to assume that this email really comes from the company it appears to be from. If at that moment you are not aware of anything in the email stating that something is wrong, then of course your immediate impulse is to do just as the hacker asks — to hand over all the information he or she needs to empty your account. When you close the site you see the normal thank you information and think that everything is fine.

What can you do to protect yourself? Don’t click on the link in the email. If you get a message from your bank – go to the normal log-in page. If the request is genuine, there will be a link on the real site for you to follow. Banks and credit card companies always recommend their customers use the log-in page to do any business or change any information. One thing to keep in mind when surfing on the Internet and answering an email is that your bank or credit card company would never ask you for that kind of information in an email. You should also think about how they address you in the email. Usually hackers address you more formally, because they haven’t got the proper information. For instance, the email may start like this: “Dear PayPal member.”

Be also aware of what is written in the subject line. It could give you a hint of whether the email is genuine or not. Some phishing emails want to have an answer by email. Convenient as it may seem, they also include a form for gathering information. It also happens that a treacherous phishing hacker attaches a link to a website that seems to be like the site you presume to visit. In fact, it is just a very good look-alike and you will think that it is the original site. As most Internet scams, phishing can be avoided if you know about it. There is no reason to worry about these scams. You can, in fact, use the Internet to protect yourself from phishing in some unique ways.

1. Always view your banking and credit accounts online. Most of the banks and also almost all credit companies have secure websites that give you the opportunity to safely view your statements and online activity. You must NEVER enter the site of a bank or credit card company through a link attached to an email. Most certain an email with a link asking for your verification of your personal information or of reregistering of the same is a sign of phishing. It is an attempt to steal your identity. Safe sites begin with https:// or have a little sign of a lock on your computer screen. To be sure, type the address of the bank or credit card company into your browser. Remember to check your accounts quite often. If you feel that any kind of suspicious activity is going on, immediately report such movements to your bank or credit card company.

   
   

2. Keep track of your credit report. One of the main reasons for stealing your identity is to open a new credit account for the purpose to buy goods and services using your name and stolen identity. If a criminal has opened an account in your name, he will no doubt appear on your credit report.

   
   

3. You should use a credit monitoring service. There are several services available, and they can monitor your credit reports for activity and alert you if there are any changes. They will notify you about new inquiries, new accounts, late payments and fraudulent behavior. If you are going to hand over any information of your identity to someone you don’t know, make sure who they are and also that they really are who they claim to be.

When you act on the Internet, you should think of the Net as some unknown individual. You should, therefore, think before you give out any information they can use to steal your identity. A short while ago I heard about a very serious case of identity theft. A company in Sweden, well known for many years, suddenly received claims concerning unpaid bills. Soon it was clear that it was an identity theft by thieves. They had managed to get hold of the identity information of the company. After that they just made a change of address at the authorities. At the same time they ordered a bunch of different credit cards. Before that they put up a mailbox on a wall in the city. As the thieves made their purchases with new credit cards and bought all sorts of things, all information went to the new address, of which the owners of the company had no idea. The claims on the company had, however, landed at such huge proportions that the owners of the company saw no other solution than to file for a bankruptcy.