What is Phishing?
Phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of obtaining private information such as, usernames, passwords, credit card, or bank account details via e mail, by pretending to be a trustworthy entity. E mails claiming to be sent from Internet auction sites, banks, credit card companies, or IT administrators, informing you that there may be a problem with your account and asking you to login to a specific website are the most common ways to lure unsuspecting Internet users. Most often the website address looks identical to the real website, and it is often hard to tell that it is not the original site until it is too late.
The best way to avoid being a victim of phishing is to know that your bank, credit card company, or any other reputable company will never ask you for your username or password via e mail or instant message. If you are unsure if an e mail or IM is legitimate, do not click on any links, instead immediately contact the company it is said to have been sent by.