Phishing Fraud
December 20, 2005 | By Charmaine Yoest
There are 5.7 BILLION phishing fraud emails sent out each month! Amazing. Seems like half of those land in my account.
Here's an interesting online quiz to test your "phishing IQ." I scored very badly -- that's because I thought all but one were frauds.
So I've become a complete skeptic. But what does that say about the future of email as a method of communication for businesses? I automatically delete anything that comes in my inbox from ebay, paypal, and mostly from amazon, too. . .
Comments
I've got a bridge you might be interested in purchasing. Please send your credit card number and your first born as a deposit.
Posted by: Pat Patterson | December 21, 2005 1:42 AM
I've been a geek since Pong. If y'all are old enough to remember that game then you've dated yourself. :)
Never, ever trust any email from anyone. Never click on a link in an email and proceed to type in any personal information.
Whoever put out that quiz failed the reality test. You must always assume every email is fraudulent and you should disable HTML in your email preferences. Everything in an email message can be faked. I can send you a message that looks like it comes from President Bush & you wouldn't be able to tell it isn't real.
My clients fight me tooth & nail on this saying that they like the pretty layout of HTML emails. I tell them, "that's fine, call me when your computer crashes".
Most do
Posted by: Peter | December 21, 2005 2:34 PM
Well, I got 9 out of 10 correct. The one I missed was from B of A and the reason is because I dont' bank with them. But I'm with you on deleting the Pay Pal, Ebay, etc.
Posted by: Stacy L. Harp | December 21, 2005 6:23 PM
Hello Charmain,
I got 9 out of 10 too. I figure if
they are asking for a confirmation, then
it is a phishing expedition. The other
thing I look for, is the message text
or is it an image. Often times phishers
will send an image with a link that
looks like the right URL but it is an
image that is hyperlinked to their
site.
Posted by: Terry | December 24, 2005 3:44 PM