Dear Vikas, thanks a lot for the very useful info. Best Regards, K.s.Vishwanathan. Tel No: 022-28738192 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Vikas Kapoor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Access India" <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, May 21, 2007 4:52 PM Subject: [AI] Safe Net transaction. A few tips
> Safe Net transaction. A few tips > > May 21, 2007 13:27 IST > > With the rapid growth in online business transactions, a new phenomenon in > identity theft called 'phishing' has emerged. In this process, hackers use > e-mails > as bait over the Internet to hook you into giving your personal data such > as passwords, credit or debit card numbers, or other personal information. > > So what is the modus operandi of these hackers? A typical way of doing it > is by sending out mass mailers where they request you to provide personal > information. > Even if a small percentage of people respond, they are able to achieve > their goals. They use online mechanisms called spiders, which grab e-mail > addresses > over the Internet. E-mail addresses that have been posted on chat rooms; > forums or websites are most susceptible to this tactic. > > These e-mails sent by phishers closely resemble genuine e-mails that could > have been sent to you by your bank, credit card issuer or online > transaction > portal. They generally ask you to reconfirm or verify your personal > details with them, stating that they are updating their database. > > Sometimes they even use the 'threat tactic' that there are certain > problems with your account and it would be closed or suspended, if you do > not respond > within a certain time period. > > Other methods of doing it is by using malware, which redirect your > response to their website or spyware that collects data from your computer > and transmits > it to them. > > Tell-tale signs > > If a mail starts with: "Dear Customer" - Personal mails from service > providers should contain your name, especially if they are important. Mass > mails sent > by phishers generally do not contain names of the addressees. "Your > account will be closed in 72 hours if you don't respond" - The idea is to > instill a > false sense of urgency and make one act without thinking and provide the > information asked for. > > "Please verify you details with us" - Most genuine service providers would > never ask customers to send out sensitive data for reconfirmation on the > Internet. > Moreover, why would they need to verify the data online if they already > have it? > > "Please click on the link below" - These are generally masked URL > addresses that take you to a fraudulent site. "Alluring or urgent > attachments" - Attachments > sounding urgent or claiming to have mind-blowing pictures may contain > malware or spyware. > > Staying clear > > A few tips to protect yourself from phishing scams: Do not respond to > mails that you think are not genuine. Do not provide confidential > information in response > to e-mails purportedly from your service provider. > > If in doubt, call up your service provider over the help line or go to the > website by typing the address on your browser and check whether they have > sent > you any request for information or verification. If it is not a genuine > mail, report the fact with details to your service provider. > > Do not click on links on e-mails, even though the URL address may seem > genuine, as it may be masked. It is always better to type the URL address > in your > browser. Do not fill any details in pop-up windows that appear when you > click on any links, as they may be fraudulent. > > Check if a site is secure before entering any confidential information or > making financial transactions and check the security certificate. Install > the > latest anti-virus and anti-spyware software. > > You can also install a phishing filter and use mailing software that is > capable of protecting against spam and phishing. While making financial > transactions > through the Internet, you can use virtual credit cards, like the net-safe > credit card offered by HDFC Bank, to protect your credit card details from > being > misused. > > Do not open attachments from people you do not trust, especially those > sounding very urgent or alluring to protect your computer from malware or > spyware. > Regularly change passwords on all your online accounts to prevent misuse > and do not repeat old passwords when asked to change them. > > Regularly open and review your online accounts and check transaction > history. If you do so, you might be able to report and block any possible > misuse or > fraud at an early stag. > > Following these simple tips can go a long way in helping you surf and > transact on the Internet and yet stay out of the net spread by these > phishers. > > http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/may/21phi.htm > > Vikas Kapoor, > MSN ID: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Yahoo ID: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Skype ID: dl_vikas > Mobile: (+91) 9891098137. > To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
