Over one million Americans have been defrauded in the last year as a result of e-mail “phishing” attacks.  Phishing scams use e-mail and websites designed to look like those of legitimate companies to trick consumers into divulging financial and personal information such as account numbers, passwords, user names, Social Security Numbers, and other sensitive data.  

 

The invitation to visit the phisher-site is often delivered via e-mail disguised as a link to a familiar, trusted site.  The fake address bar that shows a legitimate address actually directs those who click on the link to an address that is noticeably different from that of a legitimate business.  Some versions of the fake address bar are programmed to track Web-surfing and to intercept transactions with legitimate sites.

 

Phishers also send out “official-looking” e-mails pretending to be a legitimate financial institution or credit card company.  These messages typically report an account problem or warn of a possible account fraud threat and request a direct e-mail reply. Either way, through address bar link or e-mail reply, the goal of the phisher is to convince the consumer there is an immediate need to update their financial information.