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Phishing Phishing is an illegal Internet activity that often ends up in identity theft for its victims. Phishing scams try to steal confidential information by trolling for unsuspecting victims through e-mails and sending them to fake web sites where they are tricked into providing personal information. The phishing problem is so widespread that the Federal Trade Commission and a global anti-phishing group are actively fighting it. Phishing e-mails appear to come from banks and many other businesses such as eBay and Paypal. Their messages urge you to go to their counterfeit web sites that appear identical to the authentic ones, with warnings of dire consequences if you do not comply. The fake web sites request that you “validate” personal or financial information or otherwise try to trick you into providing credit card, bank account, and/or Social Security numbers. No matter how compelling or urgent these requests seem, you can be sure that they are phishing if you did not initiate the contact. Legitimate businesses would never seek personal information in this manner. The precautions are simple: Never respond to suspected phishing e-mails under any circumstances. Never reveal personal and confidential information such as credit card numbers and social security numbers. Thousands of such fraudulent messages flood the university's e-mail system every day, but fortunately, Ohio State's anti-spam defense is at work to reduce the number that arrives in your mailbox. Members of the university community can use the service to their best advantage by learning more about the anti-spam defense. If you feel you have been victimized by identity theft, check this Federal Trade Commission web site for advice about the next steps to take. For more information on phishing scams, refer to:
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Never respond to phishing Learn about Ohio State's anti-spam service on the central e-mail system and find out how to make it work best for you. Refer to the 8help Knowledge Base article |
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