Learning how to avoid phishing/spoofing scams is one of the major concerns of Net users. Many criminals have used the World Wide Web to ripoff people; especially those who are just starting to get familiar with cyberspace. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission, FBI and Earthlink are warning Web users to be more cautious in using the Internet because there are many online crooks that are using spoofing or phishing tools, which require sending email that is disguised as a company or bank correspondence in order to get recipient's identity. Below are some of the things you could do to prevent falling into the trap cast by online scams or rip-off artists operating on the Web.
The first step that you need to be aware of on how to avoid phishing/spoofing scams is to be vigilant. If you receive e-mails asking you to verify information, give card numbers, or provide personal data, such as social security number, you should be suspicious. Banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions would not send emails like these. When you read such emails, you should contact your bank and credit card or other financial institutions to verify their request. You should also see and make a note of the web address found in the header of the suspicious e-mails. Big legitimate companies usually use .com, .net or .org and would be fairly easy to identify.
One of the best strategies to avoid phishing/spoofing scams is to ignore the email. Do not reply nor download any attachment without first taking the time to discern whether it is legitimate or not. The email may contain malware that might be used to fish passwords and other information that con artists can use to defraud you. It is also important that you consult with your spouse before providing any personal information about them via the Internet.
Emails sent by these scam artists and crooks can almost look real so you really have to be careful. If you suspect that an email you received is a scam, immediately report the matter to your ISP. Lastly, children and teens are also becoming targets of these online crooks. For this reason, it is essential that you also teach your children how to avoid phishing/spoofing scams so that they can be protected as well.
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Lionheart Assurance Scam Prevention Toolkit: How to Avoid Phishing And Spoofing Scams
