Phishing Scams - What You Should Know

What are Phishing Scams?

Phishing Scams are emails sent out to people that try to get the person to follow the link in the email. Once you have followed the link and entered your personal information, the person who sent you the email has your information. Phishing Scams come in all types of emails ranging from ebay emails to Paypal emails.

What are Some Well Known Phishing Scams?

There are some well known phishing scam emails you should be aware of. These emails look very authentic and can be quite tricky to people who aren’t familiar with phishing scam emails. Here are some of the most well known emails circulating the web.

Paypal – This email will tell you your Paypal account needs to be updated. It will tell you to click the link provided to update your information. If you place your mouse over the link, you will notice that it is not the real Paypal address. However, it maybe very close to the original URL. There could be only one letter different.

There are also emails that tell you your Paypal account is on hold for some reason and you will need to follow a link to take it off hold. Again, this is a way to get your personal information. Avoid links like this.

Ebay – Another phishing scam email is the Ebay email. This email tells you that an unpaid strike has been brought against you. It then tells you to follow the link to take care of that matter. Once you follow the link, you will be asked to enter your personal information, including your credit or debit card information. Once you do that, the phisher has your information.

Estates – These emails circulate all the time. These are the emails that say someone is dying and wants to send you their money or wants you to take over their estate. This is a phishing scam. When you follow the link and provide your information, the phisher has your information.

There are many, many more phishing scam emails circulating. To see more of the most usual scams, see this page.

How Can I Avoid Falling Victim to Phishing Scams?

There are a couple of things you can do to avoid falling victim to phishing scams.

• Never follow a link from your email.
• Always type the link in the address bar if it is something like PayPal or Ebay.
• Never use your primary email in forums, blogs, social networking sites, and newsletters.
• Install a software that detects spam and phishing scams.