The OneMinute Geek :

Con artists are “Phishing” for you

The Problem:

“Phishing,” an Internet scam now hitting Hawaii, is designed to steal your financial information. Here’s how it works. You receive an email or a pop-up message that appears to come from a company you know, like CitiBank. The message looks official. The logo is there, as well as a legitimate email return address. Usually there’s some call to action, such as “Validate your account now…or we may have to terminate it. Just click here.” After clicking on the link, you are directed to a very official looking website that requests your personal information for “verification.” Of course, it’s all a scam and before you know it someone is running up bills and possibly even committing crimes in your name.

The Solution:

Don’t get hooked. The FTC, the nation’s consumer protection agency, suggests these tips to help you avoid being hooked by a phishing scam.

1. If you get an email or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply. Do not click on the link in the message or cut and paste the link. Legitimate companies don’t ask for this information via email. If you are concerned about your account, contact the company’s correct web address.
2. Use a company’s website, not email to provide your personal or financial information. When you do, look for indicators that the site is secure. These include a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a URL for a website that begins “https:” (the “s” stands for “secure”). However, remember that no indicator is foolproof; some phishers have successfully forged security icons.
3. Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there are any unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances.
4. Use antivirus software and anti spyware software and keep them up to date. Some phishing emails contain software that can harm your computer or track activities on the Internet without your knowledge. Antivirus software and a firewall can protect you from inadvertently accepting such files. Finally, your operating system, e.g. Windows, may need software patched to close holes in the system that hackers or phishers could exploit.
5. Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you receive, regardless of who sent them.
6. Report suspicious activity to the FTC. If you get spam that is phishing for information, forward it to spam@uce.gov. If you believe you have been scammed, file your complaint at www.ftc.gov, and then visit the FTC’s Identity Theft Web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from ID theft. Visit www.ftc.gov/spam to learn other ways to avoid email scams and deal with deceptive spam.

Although the FTC doesn’t mention it, you may want to switch from Internet Explorer to another browser. Internet Explorer is the most widely used browser, and therefore the one most likely to be targeted by people with criminal or malicious intent. Lesser-known browsers are relatively safer, at least for the time being. Try Opera (www.opera.com), Safari (www.safari.com) or Mozilla (www.mozilla.com)

James Kerr is President/CEO of SuperGeeks, a Hawaii-based computer service and repair company (www.supergeeks.net). Please feel free to send your questions, comments and suggestions to Mr. Kerr. He can be reached at kerr@supergeeks.net and 942-0773.