Phishing is a form of criminal activity when a malicious website/email falsely claims to be a legitimate authority requesting information for the purpose of account or identity theft. The term phishing arises from the use of increasingly sophisticated lures to "fish" for users' financial information and passwords. The mis-spelling is intentional.Reputable organizations will not request personal information in such a manner. You should be suspicious of any e-mail messages which refer to websites that request personal and financial information. The links provided lead to a bogus website masquerading as the legitimate organization. Notifications sent to you by e-mail should be verified through an alternate source not provided in the e-mail in question. Such a valid source would be the customer service number provided on your credit card or statement sent by the postal services.
Protect your identity! "Identity theft is the fraudulent use of your name and identifying data and occurs when your personal information is stolen and used for someone else’s financial gain. Thieves will use your identity to open bank accounts and to obtain credit, merchandise or services. Victims often are left with ruined credit." (more info)
