Archive for December, 2009

If you have received a mail informing you that you are so lucky that you have won an x amount of money and in order to claim the same you have to click on the link, provided in the mail by following some simple steps. Beware. This is how phishing takes place. This phishing example also gives you an overview of what you should never believe. In fact these kinds of mails are to be deleted at the first instance.

Phishing is an act of illegally procuring or trying to procure confidential financial information pertaining to Bank account (password) and/or Credit Card related detail of an individual or group of individuals. Phishing is usually done by creating look-alike web sites of Banks and Card issuing companies, where unsuspecting people are requested to enter or share their confidential data, through spam email requests. Historically, the origin of phishing dates back to the year 1995-1996.

A phishing website is a website which is especially designed to steal private information though it appears similar to an authorized site. These are also known as fake sites.

A number of wicked persons make use of phishing sites by set them as believable spoof of legal Web sites. They then try to trap you when you visit into these Web sites and reveal your private information, such your credit card number, PAN number etc.