What is phishing? Phishing is an attempt to steal sensitive
information, such as your social security number or passwords,
by posing as a trusted company. It is most commonly attempted
via an email that will claim to come from a trusted company,
such as your bank or your credit card company. If you follow the
links provided in the email, you will appear to be providing
your information to the trusted company, while in fact you will
be providing that information to a phisher. Phishers are known
for using this information for identity theft and other
fraudulent acts. How do I recognize phishing? Phishing attempts
are getting more and more difficult to recognize. There are some
general rules of thumb that can help you identify them. First,
companies should not ask you any sensitive information via
email. Legitimate companies that require sensitive information
from you will typically send you a physical letter or require
that you come in to their place of business to confirm your
identity. If an email contains a