Don't Be Lured Into 'Phishing' Scams

April 23, 2005 — -- Internet "phishing" is the latest online scam that lures people into giving out their personal and financial information. An estimated 79 million Americans have been targeted in these phishing scams, which allow hackers to steal people's money and even their identities.

The way phishing often works is that people will receive e-mails from what they think are legitimate companies such as eBay or PayPal, saying their account has been corrupted and they need to supply their personal information again. The e-mail will usually contain a link to a Web site that looks identical to the homepages of the legitimate companies -- except the Web sites are fake.

The victims innocently input all of their personal information -- account numbers, social security numbers, passwords, etc. -- into the fake Web sites and then the scammers lift it all to steal identities.

Technology expert Becky Worley offered several tips on what to look for in phishing scams and how to avoid becoming a victim.