Gone Phishin' -- How to Avoid Phishing Scams

Phishing is a way a scam artist likes to collect  private and personal information.  Normally, phishing occurs when someone or something hacks an email account or uses a bogus email to contact unknowing victims.  When contact has been made, the phisher will ask for and collect private or personal information like user names, passwords, bank accounts and social security numbers.  It's like fishing -- they bait you with a legitimate reason,  hook you when you unknowing send your private information to a scam artist.


The best way to avoid phishing is by knowing what to look for and to NOT give out any personal information to anyone unless you absolutely know who you are giving your information to.

The 'Bait':

Email is a way most criminals like to phish.  They will send you email (most of the time it gets caught in your 'Spam' mailbox) asking for personal information like a password.  Check out the example below from a recent Yahoo! phishing email that was circulating:

The dead give away that the email is bogus is all of the private information the phisher asks for, including: a password, user name and date of birth. All of which is private information that sites like Yahoo! would never ask for from their users.

Another type of a 'bait' is a link. We've noticed a bunch on Facebook that have recently been circulating.

This is normally posted on your wall by a friend (on my wall it's normally by someone I haven't spoken with in a long time).  They are asking you to click on a link to win something to to see a crazy video or picture.  Unless this is someone you trust, DO NOT click the link!  Ask the person first if they meant to post this on your wall.  Clicking the link will normally lead you to another fake log in page that will ask for your user name and password and will then collect your private information.

Some other phishing emails to keep an eye out for are any emails from someone in a foreign country asking for money.  They normally use bad grammar and have a lot of misspelled words and are asking for you to wire them money or give up a bank account number.

If you see these emails or posts, make sure to contact the person who sent it to you (if it's a friend) or simply click the 'mark as spam' button and warn all family and friends that you've seen a phishing message circulating.

If you are unsure if it is a phishing scam or an actual person trying to reach you, I suggest getting on the phone directly or contacting the website directly (but do not contact the website through any information given through the phishing email).  If your bank is really trying to reach you, they will be more than willing to help you over the phone

If think you have already given information to a phisher, change your password immediately.  If you gave a bank account number or social security number, contact your bank and the Social Security office immediately.  

Keep an eye out for phishing scams and make sure to pass on the word if you see one! Avoid getting personal information and even your identity stolen!

Check out SpotCrime or MyLocalCrime to stay up to date on local crime happening in your area.  Stay Safe!