For those who don't know, there are people out there trying to steal other people's identity. And they're getting more clever (or desparate, depending probably on your point of view) all the time.
"Phishing" is the process by which fraudulent e-mail is sent out under the guise of a bank, credit card company, or other service (like an ISP or eBay or PayPal) claiming that the addressee's account numbers, PINs, and other personal information needs to be sent back or accounts will be closed.
For those who believe these scammers, they end up divulging personal financial information that is then re-sold or otherwise distributed to creeps who steal identities.
There is an online quiz you can take that present 10 actual scenarios that you rate as legitimate or phishing/fraudulent. At the end, the quiz gives you your score and also explains why each example was either legit or a fraud.
It's probably a good idea for everyone to take this test and see how savvy you are about this. Go to MailFrontier's Phishing IQ Test.
Friday, June 24, 2005
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