For those who read my personal blog, you know I recently received an email to my hotmail account that appeared to be legitimate, but was quite the opposite. The email was from EBay, or so it seemed. After reading its contents, I was under the impression I needed to log into my EBay account and update my personal, account information. The email imposter provided a link in the disguised message to enable me to easily manage my account. When I clicked this link, I immediately noticed a URL which did not look authentic. After researching the text of this fraudulent message, I discovered I had been “Phished.”

Phishing is the term which defines "any email communication that looks legitimate, but its sole purpose is to defraud you of your account information and the money in your account," according to Bill McCumber, cofounder of the Dallas info-security firm Privacy Inc. Indeed I had been phished, but luckily I was quick enough to discover the peculiar URL which mimicked an EBay website in its presentation. What if this happened to my grand-mother, my neighbor, or anyone else not watching out for potential threats? Personal and financial information could be surrendered to the wrong parties.

Protect yourself from these cyber-space swindlers. If you would like to read up on the latest phishing hazards, check them out here, AntiPhishing.org.