Odds are you or someone you know has, at some point received an email directing you to visit a familiar website where you are asked to update your personal information. For whatever reason, the website requires that you verify or update your passwords, credit card numbers, social security number, or even your bank account number. Sound familiar?

You recognize the business name as one that you’ve conducted business with in the past. So, not foreseeing any problems you click on the convenient “take me there” link and proceed to provide all the information they have requested. Unfortunately, you find out much later that the website is bogus. It was created with the sole intent to steal your personal information. You have just been “phished”.

Phishing (pronounced “fishing”) is defined as the act of sending an email to a recipient falsely claiming to have an established, legitimate company. The intent of the phisher is to scam the recipient into giving up their private information, and ultimately steal your identity.

It is not at easy as you might think to spot an email phishing for your information. At first glance, the email may look appear that it is from a legitimate company. The "From" field of the e-mail may have the .com address of the company mentioned in the e-mail. The clickable link even seems to take you to the company's website, when in fact, it is a fake website built in order to replicate the legitimate site.

Many of these people are professional criminals. They have spent a great deal of time in creating emails that look authentic. Users need to review all emails requesting personal information carefully. When reviewing your email remember that the "From Field" can be easily changed by the sender. While it may look like as if it is coming from a .com you do business with, looks can be deceiving. Also bear in mind that the phisher will go all out in trying to make their email look as legitimate as possible. They will even copy logos or images from the official site to use in their emails. Finally, they like to include a clickable link that the recipient can follow to conveniently update their information.

A good way to check the legitimacy of the link is to point at the link with your mouse. Then, look in the bottom left hand screen of your computer. The actual website address to which you are being directed will show up for you to view. It is a very quick and easy way to check if you are being directed to a legitimate site.

Finally, remember to follow the golden rule. Never, ever, click the links within the text of the e-mail, and always delete the e-mail immediately. Once you have deleted the e-mail, empty the trash box in your e-mail accounts as well. If you are truly concerned that you are missing an important notice regarding one of your accounts, then type the full URL address of the website into your browser. At least then you can be confident that you are, in fact, being directed to the true and legitimate website.

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