Phacing the Phacts on Phishing

Phishing

Nearly a quarter of PC users are targeted by monthly phishing attempts, according to a national study of online security.

Phishing is, of course, the practice of sending bogus but authentic-looking e-mails, purportedly from a trusted organization, to consumers in hopes of tricking them into revealing personal information. It’s one of the fastest-growing crimes in the world, and the survey conducted by AOL and the National Cyber Security Alliance indicates there’s no reason to expect that to change anytime soon.

• Phishing scams’ increasing sophistication makes them tougher to spot; 70% of recipients say they initially thought the e-mails might be legitimate.

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