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Different Types of Email Phishing
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Email phishing is a way for scammers to attempt to collect vital financial and personal information from the people to whom they are sent. This is potentially a very expensive lesson if one falls for the emails. While many are very easy to recognize, others are becoming quite sophisticated and can take even the most astute person
Most email phishing is seen as the attempt of an individual to gain your account numbers or other personal information. This information can then be used to complete a transaction which includes them removing money from your account or stealing your identity.
One popular phishing email is the foreigner who wants to or needs to move money out of his country to the States. Feeling sorry for his plight, the generous email receipient will allow give him the information needed to access their own bank account. To tell the truth, what often precipitates this generosity is the simple fact that greed takes over for the poor foreigner will offer to pay you from the funds transferred. You might just see a small amount of money transferred to the account but the next thing you know, all you have will be removed from your account. As long as these scams have been around, some people still fall for them.
A much more sophisticated type of phishing email is one that appears to be from your banking institution. It will have all the right headers and colors and look very official. It will usually state that due to some problem, you need to go and update your personal information at their website. The email will even kindly present you with a link to the site. You click this and go to a site that looks just like what you would expect at your financial institution. However, if you do enter your login and password, you have just given the crooks what they need to get into your account at the real financial institution's website. Do NOT ever go to your financial institution's website through a link within an email. Just a sound piece of advice.
One of the most important things that one can do to help prevent email phishing is to report each and every email that one gets that appears suspicious. It is far better to be too safe with your identity and finances than not safe enough.
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For more information and resources on What Is Phishing and how to report phishing as suggested in our article, go to http://www.antiphishingscams.com/
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