Phishing
The word phishing
comes from the analogy that Internet scammers are using email
lures to 'fish' for passwords and financial data from the
sea of Internet users.
Phishing, also called
"brand spoofing" is the creation of email messages and Web
pages that are replicas of existing, legitimate sites and
businesses. These Web sites and emails are used to trick
users into submitting personal, financial, or password data.
These emails often ask for information such as credit card
numbers, bank account information, social insurance numbers,
and passwords that will be used to commit fraud.
The goal of criminals
using brand spoofing is to lead consumers to believe that
a request for information is coming from a legitimate company.
In reality it is a malicious attempt to collect customer information
for the purpose of committing fraud.
Tips on
how to spot and avoid phishing scams
- Protect your computer with anti-virus software, spyware
filters, email filters and firewall programs.
- Contact the financial institution immediately and report
your suspicions.
- Do not reply to any email that requests your personal
information.
- Look for misspelled words.
Always report phishing
or 'spoofed' emails.
If you've received
one of these suspicious emails, report it to info@phonebusters.com
or the financial institution that it appears to be from.
Helpful links
www.visa.ca/phishing
www.rbcroyalbank.com
http://www.cibc.com/ca/legal/privacy-priority.html
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