Phishing

Jill Potter, Headquarters

From Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia:

In the field of computer security, phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT administrators are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting public. Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail or instant messaging, and it often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing

I have noticed an increase in phishing emails and that has raised some concerns that I would like to pass along. The most recent email was so shocking in its blatant attempt to collect personal information it was unbelievable! This official looking email from the Internal Revenue Service informed me that I was due a refund of $650.00 and I could claim it as soon as I filled out an online form. Yay! There’s my holiday shopping money! My Techie Geek side won out over common sense and I just had to see what kind of scam they were pulling. So, out of curiosity, I clicked on the link (after making sure my anti-virus was current and running) and was directed to a page that looked like an official IRS web page. After all, an Internal Revenue Service logo means it’s legitimate, right? This page had several “required” fields for me to fill out. I was asked for my name, address, phone number, driver’s license number, social security number, credit card number, expiration date AND the security code from the back of the card! My $650.00 refund would be credited directly to my credit card within 48 hours. Wow! I sure am glad that the agents at the Internal Revenue Service are looking out for me! Needless to say, I got a good chuckle and closed the page without giving them any of my information.

Seriously, it’s sad that these scams work even a small percentage of the time. These crooks undoubtedly send out hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of these emails with expectations that there will be some responses from naive and trusting individuals who could use a few bucks.

This might seem like common sense to those of us that use computers, email and the internet on a daily basis. But I’m reminded just about every time I speak with my parents how uninformed much of the population is when it comes to computers and technology based scams. The latest riff between my mom and dad was about, “just how did all those links to porn sites get on the computer desktop, hmmm?” So I sat Mom and Dad down and told them that either one could be responsible for those nasty icons. They both admitted to accidently clicking on banners on web sites and opening attachments from individuals they did not know. Then, my mother also informed me every time they turned on the computer a message popped up stating that the subscription for their anti-virus software needed to be updated. She didn’t know what to do so she just closed the box and went about her business online. She told me she had done that for over a month. Oh my goodness! The various viruses that had infected their computer were so bad I had to completely wipe out their computer and start from scratch. I managed to save their photos and documents but that isn’t always the way it goes. Now they have a squeaky clean computer without the offensive icons on the desktop.

To wrap this up, please be cautious in your internet wanderings. Don’t open emails from individuals that you don’t know. Be cautious when opening attachments and clicking on links. Please make sure your computer has a good anti-virus program on it and keep it updated! Remind others in your life that may not be as experienced as you are about the dangers of the web.

We’re lucky here at the library. The Tech Department takes care of the security for us. But even so, we must be ever vigilant because I’m sure there is a nasty little cyber no-gooder out there somewhere that is developing a virus that can penetrate even the toughest of shields.

Shields up, Captain!