Phishing is an email spam scam that is specifically used to commit identity theft. Its sole purpose is to scam you into divulging personal information, which they can use to perpetrate identity theft. This includes passwords, card numbers, birth dates, PINs and other vital personal data. The term came into use to denote the way phishers bait to lure their victims into divulging private data. Industry experts define this devious practice as a form of “social engineering.”
Typically, a phishing attack will be executed in combination with a massive spam mailing. Phishing spam is sent out to millions of recipients, often with a subject line that is exciting or upsetting. It is calculated to trigger an immediate reaction from the recipient, and get them to respond without further thought.
The phishing email will often have phrases such as:
-Dear Valued Customer.
-Click the link below to access to your account.
-If you don’t respond within 24 hours, your account shall be closed.
The phishing spam is typically a fraudulent but very official-looking e-mail. It is cleverly designed to replicate the website and email messages of a business you know and trust such as your bank or mortgage company. The email will even sport official logos and graphics of the legitimate company.
