Phishing scams happen more and more every day. I hear countless stories of people fooled by con men looking to make a quick dime, and it saddens me that more people have not been made more aware of what phishing is and how to avoid it.

Phishing is the sending of fake emails by scammers to people in order to have them reveal personal information that can then be used to commit identity theft. Often the email comes from what looks like a reputable company like PayPal or a national bank chain. The email claims to need the verification of personal information like social security numbers or credit card numbers, and once you've entered the information it gets sent to the con men who can proceed to use your credit card and steal your identity.

Phishing has become a bigger problem in recent years, and now many companies are starting to take action against it. Browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera all have new versions of their software that warn you if a site might be a phishing site. Email clients like Thunderbird also warn you if an email looks like an email scam; they help you to think twice about clicking on links that might look safe.

Technology, however, isn't perfect! Scammers can fool you at any time, and many have the technical expertise to make their emails look exactly like one that a company would actually send you. Listed below are some tips to help you avoid phishing scams and keep your information safe.

- Be suspicious of any email asking you for personal information! Most companies will not ask you for your username and password; they'll already have it on file. A phishing email can be spotted because it asks for this sensitive information; some will even ask for credit card or social security numbers. Even if the email claims that they lost all their server space and data, don't be fooled- confirm this by calling the company directly or emailing them directly.

- Also be extremely wary of spelling errors in an email- most financial institutions will proofread their emails extensively before they send them out. Any spelling errors should set off a warning alarm immediately!

- Don't use the links in an email to get to any web page- it's always safer to type the address directly into the address bar. Many exploits now use security flaws in web browsers to fool the browser into believing it's at a certain website when you click a link from your email.
Make sure Windows and all your browsers are up to date and patched with the latest security updates. Most machines will update themselves automatically, but to ensure your system does so go to the Control Panel and double-click the shield icon labeled "Security Center". In that window, make sure that automatic updates are turned on.

- Regularly check your bank, credit and debit card statements to ensure that all transactions are legitimate. If anything looks out-of-place, call your bank or credit card company immediately!

- Some scammers will include the first four digits of your credit card number in order to look legitimate- don't be fooled! The first four numbers of a credit card are not related to your own personal account number, and in fact are the same or similar for all cards of that type (I.E. Visa, Mastercard, etc.)

- Many times the email will look extremely trustworthy; perhaps it will even be indistinguishable from a real email sent by a company. Bottom line is trust nothing; make sure it came from where it says it came from.

With these few useful tips, hopefully you'll be able to keep your personal information secure and stop phishers at their own game.

Learn more about this author, Alexander Lourenco.
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