What is Phishing?

Phishing; (fshng):  Unlawfully gleaning information for purposes not in your best interests. Name was actually derived from fishing: Casting out bait to many fish which some actually bite, get hooked and  reeled in.

So, you got an email about an account you have that helps you pay your bills online, make purchases online, etc.  They are very concerned that your account has been jeopardized so they placed a block or limited access to your account until you verify your information.  You are supposed to follow the instructions in the email you received and it looks very important.  But how do you know that it's legitimate?  This is supremely important, it's your bank account, credit card information, social security number, address and phone number etc., that you are giving out to a virtual stranger.

z Let's look at the validity of this email: 
      How to spot the fake or phishing emails.

----See Screenshot 1:1

1: Your creditor or company will know your name and they will use it.  They will not address you as Dear 'Member', Does your Bank Statement come addressed to Dear 'Bank Account Holder' or your Credit Card Statement addressed to Dear 'Credit Card Holder'?  More importantly, they will never contact you via email like this.  They will either contact you by telephone, regular postal mail or send you an email to sign in to your account and go to your secure message center.

2: Look at the link they included. Just hover your cursor over the link and look at your status/address bar at the bottom of your email box (if you have your settings selected to show them).  Do the http: addresses match?  If not, you are being re-directed to a different site than what they are telling you in the letter.  Bad business right off the bat.

Screenshot 1:1      The email I received asking me to verify information.

z Headers in Email - Full or Normal

If you have selected to show full headers in your email options you can look at them.

----See Screenshot 1:2

See where the Received, Received, Received and From addresses are.  Too many Received's for starters and they should be the same and a big tip there is one Received from User that failed.  This email has gone through a lot of places to get to me. Also, with Yahoo mail, many secure places are using the domain keys now, this email is showing no signature and it is supposed to be a secure email.  

Screenshot 1:2                      Full Headers in Email Message

z Fake or Legitimate Websites

For purposes this TUT, I clicked on the link (Do Not Try this at Home) to grab a screenshot for you.  (I had to get the screenshot in 2 seconds, explanation later.)

----See Screenshot 1:3

This appears to be a legitimate website and comes up how you might believe it should look.  This is where it fools people in entering their private information.  The information that you enter here goes directly to the 'phisher'men for their purposes of identity theft.  You just gave them your account number, your social security number, your password, address, along with any other information that you have on this account which may include other credit card numbers you have authorized as a credit source.  Because you clicked the link to follow the instructions and clear the problem with your account!  Do Not click the link!!!  Retype the address in the address bar.  Do Not copy and paste it you will also copy and paste the wrong address especially now with our Smart Tags¹! Be AWARE of Smart Tags usage.  Know what those entail, they can also gather critical usage statistical detailed information about where you go and what you do online.  You have the opportunity to turn these on or off, it's your decision.  I have mine on occasionally in the browser I use for surfing for certain reasons.  I use a second, secure browser for all business purposes, shopping, email, whatever I need a password for, etc. 

Screenshot 1:3       Looks like the same legitimate site I use regularly.

z Virus Protection, Identity Theft, Phishing and Pop Up Blockers are Valuable Assets

---See Screenshot 1:4

If you make sure to have and keep current a good all around virus and computer safety program, after a few seconds of going to a potentially harmful website, it will flash a warning over top of the Phishing Email page that you went to helping you to avoid making a very costly and devastating mistake.  A protection program does not cost very much for a year subscription and will pay for itself in less than one trip to the computer repair shop or trying to repair your credit history after someone has stolen your identity.

This is what comes up on my computer about 2 seconds after I clicked the link in the email program. (Here's why I had to get the screenshot in 2 seconds.)  It warns me of a potentially damaging website.  This will also come up if I am browsing through sites while searching for information too.  I rest better knowing that I can surf the web and there are some safeguards in place that will protect my investments and assets and my identity from those who do not have my best interests in their mind.

Screenshot 1:4       My program blocks me with this page.

So everyone, please think about investing in an all-around protection package for your computer and Surf Safe!

s If you have any questions, please feel free to ask a manager and we will be happy to help!

i Information you may wish to read to further your knowledge of Smart Tags:

---Definition from Wikipedia

1. Smart Tags:  Within a web browser, smart tag technology parses its way through a web page, underlines the words it has been pre-programmed to react to, and inserts its own hyperlinks. These take you to wherever the smart tag developer wants to take you, entirely without the knowledge or permission of the web site proprietor (in early tests almost all the links offered were to sites or products of Microsoft or its affiliates.)

Smart tags can also be generated by third parties; for example, a company might contract a technology firm to develop a set of smart tags and actions for their specific products or services, so that product names are automatically recognized and linked to actions such as "check quantity in stock" or "check price." 

N   A Controversial Discussion about Smart Tags 

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©2008 Tutorial, Screenshots, and HTML by Summer