More ‘Phishiness’ Is Going On
This is from BBC, about a study of US “phishing” expeditions, indicating that people trying to steal your information are getting better at going where the money is:
Phishing involves using e-mails with links to fake websites to trick people into revealing bank account numbers. (or any other personal information that might lead to the phisher being able to access a person’s bank accounts or credit lines — Ed.).
The study, by analysts Gartner, found that people who earn more than $100,000 received nearly 50% more phishing e-mails than lower earners.
It also found that those on higher incomes lost on average four times more money than other victims.
Overall, the number of US adults who have received a phishing e-mail has doubled from 57 million in 2004 to 109 million in 2006. Overall losses from the attacks have risen to $2.8 billion (£1.5 billion), Gartner estimates.
“The good news is that, this year, fewer people think they lost money to phishers, but when they did lose, they lost more,” said Avivah Litan, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.
“The average loss per victim nearly quintupled between 2005 and 2006, and the thieves seem to be targeting higher-income earners who are also more likely to transact on the internet.”
Unfortunately, some of the people with the money the phishers are after are elderly. Many of them are not aware of the lengths to which phishers will go to pretend to be their bank or financal institution. Please warn senior citizens you know who are active on the Internet to be aware of the dangers.
