HELP…WHEN YOU THINK YOU’VE BEEN “PHISHED”

If you think you’ve received a phishing e-mail, or you just want to stay abreast of what’s going on in the world of fraudulent cyberspace, there’s a site that meets this need. FraudWatchInternational.com has all the information in a compact format for look-up that expands to give you specifics on each incident. Non-members can get events of the last 48 hours, but you can sign up for $24.95 a year for full membership benefits. As a non-member, I have checked the site regularly to report on phishing scams, and recently made use of their Search Box to look up a Western Union e-mail I received that was obviously a scam. There were 31 hits, which tells me the “scamsters” are active in this company’s name. According to Phish Tank, a collaborative clearinghouse for data and information about phishing on the Internet, the U.S. is top host to phishing sites with 24 percent, South Korea second at 14 percent, followed by India, 8 percent. Like identity theft, phishing is also global, but localized. Microsoft has a good site, “Recognizing phishing scams and fraudulent e-mails,” that walks you through the process of avoiding this kind of deception. With all the hullabaloo over this issue, you’d think most people would approach suspicious e-mails with caution, but every day there are new victims. Folks, responsibility for your sensitive data starts at home, and it’s time we took this to heart because it’s only going to get worse.