Phishing Scams

Definition: Phishing scams are among the many types of online security concerns facing Internet users. Phishing occurs when a user receives an e-mail that appears to be from a legitimate source (bank, credit card company, eBay, PayPal, etc) but is actually from a malicious source. The e-mail typically asks the user to go to a seemingly legitimate website to verify personal or company data (account numbers, social security numbers, etc) or passwords. The phisher then collects the information and uses it illegally. Phishing is often successful because the user (or receiver of the fake e-mail) assumes the email is legitimate because it looks like it could have been sent from the actual company.