Phishing is on the rise: The basics on how to protect yourself?

On several forums that I’m a member of there have been a drastic increase in the number of phishing attempts. People pretending to be someone they aren’t, banks are a big target but also escrow services, PayPal, eBay, various registrars, credit card companies. These people are tricky, they make the email seem urgent (on the lines of “we need to verify your information or else your account will be deleted”).

First and most importantly, DO NOT GO TO THESE SITES IN THE EMAIL. Usually these sites will have malicious scripts in them that will copy logins and passwords. Don’t worry, if you did go to one site, quickly close out the window and get yourself a copy of “Spybot: Search & Destroy” or LavaSoft’s Ad-Aware (both are free). Install and completely can your system with both (one at a time, though). And for kicks, if you do not have any virus protection, get Grisoft’s AVG, it is also free (and favored amongst my techie friends, better than a lot of the competition that costs more). Clean up that system! It is also a very good idea to clean out your cache (temporary internet files), cookies, and history.

Next, go to the web site that you normally go to and find their fraud department, normally most will have an email for this, abuse@(institution).com for example, abuse@paypal.com is PayPal’s. Forward the email to that email address. Close out the browser’s window if you had one open.

Go back into your browser and go back to the site in question. Log into your account like you normally do and make sure everything is OK. If you are ever unsure, CALL THEM. It is your money and reputation. Don’t assume they will do everything for you; most do not have the manpower to monitor every account.

Also, change your passwords often and make them secure (see previous blog from this month). Do not make them easy for anyone to guess!

Most phishing attempts can be stopped right from the beginning. Even if an email seems legitimate, protect yourself and do not click on any links in any email like these. Go directly to the site in question and log in that way.