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Phishing - What It Is and How to Avoid Identity Theft
from: Angela Daley
Phishing is a term used to describe a type of spam that aims to steal your identity. It can be attempted through email, instant messages, or pop-up windows. Phishers seek to convince their potential victims to provide personal data such as credit card numbers, passwords or account information.
Sophisticated phishing scams appear to come from reliable sources such as your bank or credit card company. Logos, web addresses and information taken directly from legitimate sites are copied and altered to lead the reader to respond to these requests.
There are a few simple steps you can take to protect yourself from phishing scams. For example, don't follow the links in an email to your bank or credit card's website. Instead, type the address directly into your browser. Also, don't give out personal information on a website that isn't secure. To tell if a website is secure, check for "https://" in the address bar rather than just "http://". The 's' stands for 'secure'. Be wary of any emails that ask you to update, confirm, or validate your account information.
Try to review your printed account statements regularly. If you believe you are an identity theft victim, you can file a complaint with the FTC at www.ftc.gov in addition to filing a police report. You should also call the toll-free fraud number of any one of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies and place an initial fraud alert on your credit reports.
About the Author:
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Newfoundland and Labrador RCMP are warning about how easy it is to become the victim of identity theft by telling the story of one of their own officers.
Read more...Police Chief discusses identity theft with public (News 10 Now Syracuse)
New Hartford Police Chief Raymond Philo held a seminar to inform people about the risk of identity theft and how to avoid becoming a victim.
Read more...N.L. RCMP use officer's story to warn about identity theft (CBC via Yahoo! Canada News)
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They all hope it never happens to them and now they're better prepared. People from the Midland Empire attended a free seminar about identity theft.
Read more...Learn to avoid identity theft (Independent Press)
MADISON -- "Identity Theft--How to Prevent It," a one-night class, will be offered by the Adult School of the Chathams, Madison and Florham Park. The class will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, at Madison High...
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SEATTLE -- A man who used so many identities that prosecutors initially couldn't tell who he was has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.
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