Phishing Methods and Prevention

Contrary to popular belief, hacking isn't the vehicle by which most offenders gain access to your personal and financial accounts. The majority of the time, a process called phishing will be used. Phishing is a fairly simple method of stealing information in which an individual will pose as a trusted source in order to trick the victim into giving away their information. This has both good and bad connotations. The bad news is that since it's a bit more straight-forward than hacking, more people utilize phishing to gain personal information. The good news is that there's little mystery or uncertainty when it comes to protecting yourself from phishing.

One of the most common forms of phishing is the mock website. An link is given to the victim which leads to a fake website that looks identical to the one the victim assumes it is. When the victim tries to log in or input sensitive information, it is sent directly to the phisher, who then takes control of the account for personal gain. Another popular phishing method is to send an email to or call the victim posing as an official from an organization or business whist asking for personal information such as a credit card number, social security number, or usernames and passwords.

It is very simple to protect yourself from being a victim of phishing. The most important rule to go by is to never give out any personal information, especially to those claiming to be official members of any group or business. Real officials will never ask for any personal information via e-mail, phone, or instant messaging. If a trustworthy member of an institution was to contact you, they will usually address you by the name you are associated with them as. Make a habit of checking the URL of a website before typing any information into the site. If the URL does not match the that of the website it appears to be, don't sign in and notify the original website about the fraudulent page. If you think you have been scammed, change your password immediately, along with any other account which may have the same password that was stolen. If it was a financial scam, notify your bank and credit card company as soon as possible. Always keep an eye on your bank statements to make sure your information has not been taken advantage of. While phishing may be a prevalent issue on the web, it is possible to keep your information safe with these measures.