Define Phishing

To Define Phishing You Are Talking About Criminal Activity That Steals Your Personal Information

Using your computer offers the criminal the potential to steal your identity in many ways. Identify theft is a big business, a growing business and a situation that can cause you harm financially and emotionally with the pain and expense of trying to clear your good name and credit.

In the world of computers today you should be able to define phishing and what it potentially means to you. Phishing is a computer term that is the criminally fraudulent process of stealing your identify and to steal sensitive information about you and your personal data. Criminals - also known as cyber predators - would love to have your social security number, bank account numbers, and other information in which they could potentially steal your money by any means.

Often times this is done through the Internet and especially by email spoofing, malware, spyware, malicious code and scams that you do not recognize. Often you may be directed to a web site that looks legitimate but is actually a site designed to pick up your personal information, account numbers, passwords and other data that could be used to gain access to your financial accounts.

Once this happens you are a victim and in serious danger of being duped out of money and causing havoc with your credit and personal accounts.

You as a user and consumer of the Internet must learn to be cautious and take proactive steps to protect yourself. It is important to use reliable software to protect you and your computer from spyware, malware, cookies and alert you to spam and dangerous, untested sites that may simply be methods to set you up for phishing activities.

When you define phishing you are really talking about social engineering on the computer designed to fool any user to gain access to personal information.

Fortunately there are methods designed to help you protect you and your computer from the evils of phishing. You can purchase software that is available to screen for dangerous sites that may use these techniques to gain sensitive information.

You must also become very cautious about entering sites that you are not familiar with and you do not know the validity of the web site. Be leery about giving away your information dealing with sensitive information like bank accounts, credit cards, social security numbers, telephone numbers and other data that you would not reveal to strangers.

Do not trust any site unless you have positive information about the site. Learn to protect your personal information before it is stolen and you become a victim of identity theft.