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Caught like a phish in a net
Every day, thousands of people become victims of identity theft or credit card fraud. One of the ways crooks get their information is by phishing. Phishing is a technique where a fraudulent company sends an unsolicited e-mail, posing as a well-known company, in which, for instance, they ask to verify you credit card or banking information because they automatically enrolled you into the ‘Verified by Visa’ program. The e-mail and the link to the website look as if they are the real thing. The lastest phishing websites even have secure socket layer connections, which make it look even more realistic. All you have to do is be gullible and type in your information. After the fraudulent company has gathered your information, they will call the credit card company, posing as you, giving a change of address to a P.O.Box and requesting a new card.
So how do you know what is real and what is not? For starters, no bank or credit company will ever ask you to verify your credit card information. You usually only need your Social Security Number when you start a new job or when a company needs to do a credit check, for instance when you apply for a creditcard. This day, the majority of fraudulent transactions goes through the Internet and that is where you start protecting yourself. To get fraudulent e-mail, they need to know your e-mail address. Many of the websites you visit will ask for your e-mail address. By giving your e-mail address, you start the never ending, ever growing cycle of spam to your mailbox. If a website can’t make money because you don’t buy their product, they’ll make it by selling your e-mail address. If a website requires your e-mail address to continue, you can always make one up. When you get spam in your mailbox, don’t open it. Just delete it. And never, ever click on the ‘unsubscribe’ link in a spam e-mail. That will just signal the spammers that your e-mail address is a working address, and the amount of spam to your mailbox will exponentially increase. There are serveral solutions that can filter out spam for you. Ask us which solution is right for your company.
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