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Perils of “Phishing” |
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(Part of a series of articles on charitable giving and the Union County Foundation by David Vollrath - Exec. Dir.) Virtually any task we need to perform dealing with information can be accomplished via a computer and accessing the intemet. A world's worth of information is literally at our fingertips. As is usually the case there are always those who can turn that which is good into something sinister... which leads us to "phishing". Phishing, (pronounced the same as what you do with a worrn and a hook) is the act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, that the legitimate organization already has. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user's information. The web site is designed to look identical to a legitimate site that you probably have actually used before. The caveat is obviously that if you fail to be discerning, with just a few clicks you can throw open a Pandora's box and unwittingly expose your assets to an intemet swindler. What should you be on the look out for to avoid phishing scams? Be wary of any emails declaring your accounts in jeopardy or asking for personal information. Typically phishing scams use scare tactics to motivate immediate action on the part of the person being scammed. You should never reply to, click any links, or open any attachments on emails that are trying to press you into immediate action. Look for mistakes in the soliciting email. A legitimate email from a real financial institution will have no errors. If you have any doubts regarding the legitimacy of an email that is asking you for personal information it is recommended that you delete it or call the institution to validate the communication. Making sure that your web browser is up to date can also help to avoid phishing scams. Also never share your passwords and user names and it is best, for security reasons, to not even store them on your computer. Lastly be attentive to your financial accounts. Review your accounts regularly and monitor them for discrepancies or any activity that you did not initiate. Being aware of these concepts will help you protect your financial assets while still allowing you to benefit from the power of the world wide web. The Union County Foundation encourages you to consider your present and future charitable goals. The Foundation is equipped to help you achieve these goals by providing: planned giving and estate planning resource information, charitable gift annuities/life income plans, and a broad array of charitable choices. Please call us at 937-642-9618, email commfounduc@imetweb.net, reference our website at www.emarysville.com/unioncountyfoundation, or stop by our Marysville office at 126 N. Main St. We are committed to helping you.... “preserve your footprint in time.” |
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