Phishing (pronounced "Fishing") is one of the fastest growing threats on the Internet and a form of identity theft. It refers to high-tech scams using phony web sites with actual brands designed to steal valuable personal information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and Social Security numbers.
Phishers use many tactics including creating and sending links to fraudulent Web sites or e-mail messages that appear to be valid in an attempt to fool you into submitting personal, financial, and password information.
Often an e-mail will be sent containing a link taking you to a fraudulent Web site appearing to be valid (like your bank or mortgage company) so that you'll enter your personal information. By using well-known, trusted brand names and logos, phishers are able to convince you to respond to them.
One of the ways that you can protect yourself against phishing scams is to download and install the Microsoft Phishing Filter. The tool is available for free and it is designed to protect against phony Web sites that attempt to gather personal information about you when you are online.
The tool is very simple to install and requires no configuration afterwards. You can obtain it at no charge at http://addins.msn.com/phishingfilter.
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