Technology Tip: Have you gone phishing today?

Technology Tip:

Have you gone phishing today? 

Phishing is the slang term for using email to get people to share their personal information so it can be used to steal their identity.  Con artists use phishing emails to literally "fish" for information that they can use to illegally access bank accounts and open credit card accounts.  Here are two obvious phishing emails in my mailbox that I thought I’d share with you as examples of Phishing. 

For some reason Best Buy decided to offer me not just a $500 gift card but also a $1000 gift card this morning.  Here are the emails I found:

 

Look similar?  You have probably seen many types of “unbelievable” emails before.  If you have not you will see them sooner or later.  These emails were sent out by a scam artist who wants to get some personal information.  Here’s what the email says:

 

It says I’m eligible for a “FREE $1000 Best Buy gift card” so I better hurry up and click on the link to find out how to get it right?

If you click the link here’s what happens, you get redirected from the original link listed above to another site that looks like this:

 

In case you were wondering here’s what the real Best Buy Gift Card website looks like:

 

The first thing you should notice about the links in the email and the website is that the addresses are obviously not “Best Buy” websites.

The link in the email:  http://cangetoffer.info:8080?

The link I was redirected to:  http://www.myeliterewards.com/

The actual Best Buy address:  http://www.bestbuy.com

The first hint that this is a scam was the fact that “It is too good to be true” The second hint is the web addresses are bizarre compared to the actual Best Buy address. 

The fake Best Buy website can be convincing.  For example, at the bottom of the page they have some pretty convincing links to a “Privacy Policy” and “Terms” but on these pages you can find a third hint that this is an illegitimate offer.  At the bottom of the official looking “Privacy Policy” is this address:

So, just out of curiosity, what happens if you type in an email address and “Click Here to Submit and Continue”

Then you'll be redirected to this site:

 

Looks legitimate but of course it is not.  The whole goal of email phishing is to get your personal information.  This webpage is what everything else was about.  If they can get you to share your address and phone number and other personal information they can start to collect the elements they need to steal your identity.  Please note that this is not a Best Buy website and that their logos as well as the logo for FedEx were stolen to make this webpage.  Everything you are seeing in the image above is fake.

If you have concerns you can do more research and read more information about online scams at this website.  It is a government website, so it should be very helpful:  http://onguardonline.gov/index.html

 Have a great day!!

Like Us on facebook!!

Follow Us on Twitter!!

Add Us on Google+!!