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No. I¡¯m not talking here about the outdoor activity enjoyed \rby many. And no again; I did not misspell it. Phishing is \rthe name given to the latest online scam where millions of \runwary Americans are getting their identities stolen. This fraudulent activity is considered the fastest growing \rcrime of modern times. The favorite target groups of \rphishers seem to be very young children and senior citizens, \ras they do not often ask for credit reports, fill out credit \rcard applications or solicit loans. This allows the thieves \rto go undetected for longer periods of time; but still, be \rcareful. We all are potential targets. Remember when throwing away unshredded documents with \rpersonal information in the trash bin was considered a big \rrisk for identity theft? While this still happens, identity \rthieves have become more sophisticated in recent times, and \rthis is how they do it¡ Phishers create bogus e-mails that look as if they came from \rlarge, well-known institutions and banks, such as eBay, \rPaypal, Citibank, EarthLink, and Wells Fargo among others. \rThese e-mails claim that you are due for an account update, \ror that the account number, password, social security number \ror other confidential information needs to be verified. Then \rthey warn you, stating that if you do not do it within a \rcertain period of time, that your account will be closed, \rterminated, the service discontinued, or something to that \reffect. They even provide you with links to websites that look \rlegitimate, because they hijack the real logos of these \rwell known banks, and trusted institutions and companies. \rAnd that is the scary part¡ these e-mails look 100% \rlegitimate, but they are not. In some cases it goes even further¡ some of these phishers \rare installing spyware on your computer to monitor your \ronline activities. So¡ should you leave the online world for \rgood? Not necessarily. These are a few things you can do to protect yourself from \rthese scammers: 1. Do not respond to any e-mail that asks for personal \rinformation from you, such as account number, credit card \rnumber, user names, passwords, etc. If you suspect that the \re-mail, indeed, be legitimate, contact your bank or \rinstitution to verify this. 2. When in doubt, visit the Anti-Phishing Working Group for \ran update of the latest scams, and tips to avoid becoming a \rvictim. The website¡¯s URL is www.antiphishing.org 3. Websites like www.Paypal.com, www.citibank.com, and \rwww.ebay.com, offer security tips and tell you what \rinformation they¡¯d never ask for in an e-mail. 4. Get anti-virus software and keep it up-to-date. 5. If you suspect you have received a fraudulent e-mail, do \rnot click on any links within it, and forward it to the FTC \rat uce@FTC.gov Finally, if you suspect you¡¯ve been a victim of this fraud, \rget a copy of your credit report immediately to check for \runusual activity. If you discover that you¡¯ve been a victim \rof identity theft, close your account at once and¡ - Call the Credit Bureau. - File a police report. - Call the FTC ID theft hotline at (877)IDTHEFT. - Alert other financial institutions where you have accounts. According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, phishers send \rmillions of e-mails a day, getting about 5% response. Even \rwith this low response, it is estimated that about 150,000 \rAmericans have fallen prey to these scams since May of 2004. \rGet informed. Do not become a victim yourself. ============================================== You have permission to publish this article electronically \ror in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are \rincluded. A courtesy copy of your publication would be \rappreciated. E-mail: marketingplanet1@aol.com \rNovember, 2004. ============================================== Tamara Baruhovich is the author of "Straight Talk about \rNetwork Marketing" A no hype, no B.S. e-course that \rshouldn't be missed if you are serious about starting \ra successful career in Network Marketing! Get your \rcomplimentary copy here¡ e-course04@aweber.com
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