What is Phising?

(v.) Pronounced  "fishing"

Phising is an attempt to steal your identity.  Phishing usually starts with an email.  A phisher email apprears to come from a legitimate source, such as TraderOnline.com, and may include graphics and formatting that make it look official.  The email message will often tell you that you need to "update your account  information," or "protect your account security,"  and it will often threaten to close your account or remove your ad.  E-mails can be sent to people on selected lists or on any list, expecting that some percentage of recipients will actually have an account with the real organization.

We will never ask for your password or other personal information via email.  These types of emails are not as common as one might think.  If you have posted your name, phone number, email address, etc. on the internet (for any reason) then this could be why you received an email.

Every phisher email will appear to be very urgent or even threaten the status of your account.  It will also ask you to click a link.  If you click the link, it may take you to a site that looks exactly like the site you are used to visiting.  You may not be able to tell the difference.  The site will ask you to enter personal information including:

• Credit Card Numbers
• Passwords or PIN numbers
• Credit Card Validation/Security Codes (CSC), the special code on the back of your credit card
• Social Security Number
• Bank Account Numbers
• Login/Password for a particular site

1.  Don't click on links in unsolicited emails, especially those asking for personal information.

2.  Go directly to the site that is referenced in the email.  The best way to get to any site is to type its addresss (URL) directly into your browser.

3.  Keep your operating system and browser up-to-date wit the latest security updates.