According to Wikipedia: “In computing, phishing is a criminal activity that uses social engineering techniques. Phishers attempt to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details, by posing as a trusted entity in an electronic communication.

I should have known better… I never fall for those phishing scams… well hardly ever…

You know what I’m talking about: you receive an email from Paypal, eBay or your bank. The email looks genuine. All family charts are on the page. It looks exactly like the real website. How was I to know that I was being scammed into a scam…

Let me explain: I had just completed an auction on eBay. A very successful auction. eBay immediately sent me an email. At least I thought it was from eBay… The email said I owed money from my auction. They said I needed to pay right away or my account would be suspended.

I certainly didn’t want my account suspended, I wanted to pay. I looked at the email and clicked where it said click.

I entered my username and password, as I always do when I enter eBay. Then nothing happened. Wow, I thought. Weird. Maybe just an internet glitch. Happens all the time. I opened a new window and manually typed in the eBay address. As soon as I got onto the “real” eBay, I realized I had been scammed.

I immediately changed my password. I then connected to Paypal and changed that password. I barely noticed the disaster. I learned my lesson, again. Don’t fall for phishing scams.

If you ever get an email from someone asking you to log in to your account from a link in the email: DON’T DO IT!

Sign in to your account from a different browser window and manually type in the address. Be careful out there. The bad guys are counting on you to take the easy way out and click the link. Like me. If you receive such a message, delete it immediately. If the email says it’s from Paypal or eBay, you can forward it to this address:

[email protected]

[email protected]

The Anti-Phishing Task Force has some great advice: Be wary of any email with urgent requests for personal financial information.

Do not use links in an email, instant message or chat to access any web page if you suspect that the message may not be authentic or if you do not know the name of the sender or user.

Avoid filling out forms in email messages that ask for personal financial information

Always make sure you are using a secure website when submitting credit card information or other sensitive information through your web browser.

You can find other great tips on what to do about phishing scams at:

Anti-Phishing Working Group

http://www.antiphishing.org/ Remember: Be careful. You are one click away from being scammed…