The term “Phishing” is based on the
principle of ‘baiting’ to catch a fish by putting a fishing line. Phishing is
related to online baiting or luring the unsuspecting victims. Because of the all-evasiveness as well as the
anonymity of the Internet, the scam artists trick you into sharing personal
information related to your bank or credit card accounts and then rob you of
your money.
In order to be avoid falling victim
to one of these phishing scams, you should take preventive measures. If you
still fall victim, you must take immediate remedial measures to minimize your
loss. Therefore, you must be aware of the facts to report phishing websites.
When you receive unsolicited emails,
asking for the following information, it is high time for you to report phishing
websites to proper government authorities or other agencies.
●
Bank Account Number
●
Credit Card Number
●
User name and Password Number
●
Social Security Number
●
Personal Identification Number (PIN)
●
Your Date of Birth
●
Maiden Name of your mother
Indicators
to Report Phishing Websites
In order to know; how to report
phishing websites, you must know that cyber criminals adopt advanced
information technology for designing phishing email messages and websites to
attack your email ID and websites. Through the email messages, they are enabled
to install malicious software or malware, onto your computer and steal away
your personal information. Then, they use them for their personal financial
benefit.
Social Engineering is another way
adopted by cyber criminals for convincing you to install malware onto your
system. Therefore, be prepared to report phishing websites if you find any
persuasive emails, phone calls for downloading something, off a website.
Indicators
of Phishing emails
However, smart the phishing scammers
try to be, they lack in certain aspects that may act as sufficient
indication for you to report phishing
websites.
●
Bad
Grammar and Spelling Mistakes
Spelling mistakes or grammatical
error may arise in a written text, either due to poor knowledge of the English
language or inadvertent oversight or clerical error. Professional organizations
have experienced and qualified staff that is less likely to commit such
mistakes. You must report phishing websites such as these immediately.
●
Be
Cautious of Links in emails
Avoid clicking on any link in any
email that arouses suspicion in your mind. To make sure, just rest your mouse
on the link; without clicking it and see if the link typed in the message
matches with the address shown. If you click on the link, you may be led to
files that spread malicious software.
●
Threats
You may receive a threat through
email message tat your bank or credit card account will be closed, if you don’t
fulfill certain condition laid down in the message. In such eventuality, you
must report phishing websites. You learn more from ‘Watch out for fake alerts’
Local
Authorities for Reporting
In the United State, you should
report phishing websites, in FTC Caint Form, in Canada, ask for support from
Canadian Anti-Fraud Center. Any fraud related to Microsoft should be reported
to the Microsoft Answer Desk.
