What Is Phishing?
Phishing is not a new phenomenon and has been around in one form or another and with various different guises for some years. It is the attempt to trick an email recipient into providing account details by forwarding them to a bogus website or using a bogus email. Phishing gets its name because users are baited into providing details or performing an action they wouldn't ordinarily do. The most common form of phishing now is the forwarding of emails requesting bank account details or directing users to a bogus version of a genuine website. While these are two of the more common examples, though, many others exist.
Bogus Website – Fake Link
A bogus website is created that is identical in appearance to that of a genuine website. Typically the genuine website that is being copied is one of a financial nature and requires an authentic, secure logon. Internet banking websites or online payment websites are particularly popular choices for this type of phishing attack. Users are then indiscriminately sent emails requesting that they log into the website and a link to the fake website is included in the email. Once details are entered onto the bogus site they are forwarded to the hacker or digital thief in order that they can access the proper site using these proper details.
You Have NOT Won An Online Lottery
A recent version of a phishing scam is the sending of emails that appear as though they are from an online lottery stating that the recipient has won a large amount of money. They are then required to forwards or provide bank details allegedly in order that the winnings can be wired into their bank account. Again, when details have been forward to the perpetrators they are used in order to gain access to bank accounts and steal money or personal identities.
Caution With Charitable Emails
Apparent charitable emails and emails claiming to be from various different websites regularly do the rounds and can cause financial loss, a loss of privacy and even the theft of a person's identity. Obviously, none of these are desirable and should be protected against at all costs. While there are phishing protection applications available a lot of the onus rests on the user in order to prevent falling foul to these illegal scams.
Precautions To Take
If you receive an email claiming to be from a genuine website and requesting that you click a link and log on to the website you should always be careful. The link may be bogus but may be dressed up so that it appears real. While most email clients do include the facility to view the link URL, this can be altered in the HTML code of an email so that this too appears correct. If you are genuinely a customer or member of the website in question you should open a browser and manually visit the site rather than using a potentially fake link.
Too Good To Be True?
In general, if an email appears to be too good to be true then it probably is. If you receive an email stating that you have won the online lottery and can have the millions of dollars forwarded directly to your account this regrettably has to be treated with a large amount of skepticism. Some people receive multiple emails very similar to this in a single day.
Siding With Caution
Always err on the side of caution when giving out personal details and financial information and if an email does not appear professional or a site you visit does not appear to be “right” then don't proceed. It is always better to be safe than sorry.