How to protect yourself against phishing.

A phisher is someone who sends out hundreds of fraudulent emails, purported to be from respectable companies. These emails usually claim that there is some problem with your account, and tell you that you should reply with certain types of personal information such as a credit card number or password to keep your account active. They often threaten dire consequences if you do not comply, such as the deletion of your accounts.

1. If you receive an email that claims to be from a company that you trust but asks for personal information,   then you should visit the Web site.


2. Do not click the links in the email. Instead, type in the address of the site that you wish to visit.

3.  If there is no sign of the supposed problem when you sign into your account, seek out a contact phone number.

4.  Call the "company" and ask if they sent you an email. The answer will likely be no.

5.  Forward the email to the scam-reporting email address that the representative on the phone can give you, then forward it again to the Federal Trade Commission.

6.  Delete the email.

Tips & Warnings

• Always type in the address of the site you want to visit versus clicking a link in a suspicious email.
• Leave the email header intact for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The header is the information that appears in the message box when you forward an email. It will help the FTC track and punish the sender.
• Never open an email from someone that you do not know. Unless it is a business account, no one that you don't know should have or be able to use your email. Most of the excess is junk and the rest is an attempt to scam you or sell to you.
• Never give out personal information over your email.
• Never use email links to get to popular web sites like eBay or PayPal.

So dear colleagues remember to be on your A game whenever it comes to Phishing.

Reference 

eHow Tech: How to proect yourself from phishing scams. Retrieved November 22nd, 2013 from: http://www.ehow.com/how_2003275_protect-phishing-scams.html#ixzz2lOnE1QBJ