Thursday is "Phishing Awareness day," one of the events highlighting internet scams and security concerns during national Cyber Security Awareness Month.
Phishing is a high-tech Internet scam that uses e-mails to deceive people into disclosing credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security numbers, passwords and other sensitive information.
Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said scam artists are finding new ways to trick people, including using fake government sites. When the tax rebate program was announced this year, Stenehjem's office took several calls from citizens concerned about an e-mail that claimed taxpayers had to respond with a Social Security number and bank account information to claim the rebate. The e-mail was a scam. Stenehjem offers these tips to avoid e-mail scams:
- Do not respond to an e-mail if it claims an account will be shut down and asks that certain information be provided. Do not click on any links within the e-mail. If you are concerned the message may be legitimate, contact the company cited in the e-mail using a telephone number or Web site address you know to be genuine.
- Avoid e-mailing personal and financial information. If shopping online, before submitting bank account or credit card information through a Web site, look for the "lock" icon on the browser's status bar. It signals that your information is secure during transmission.
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Online:
- www.ag.nd.gov .
