Phishing

Phishing refers to a practice where someone misrepresents their identity or authority in order to induce another person to provide personally identifiable information (PII) over the Internet. Some common phishing scams involve e-mails that purport to be from a financial institution, Internet service provider (ISP), or other trusted company claiming that a person’s record has been lost. The e-mail directs the person to a website that mimics the legitimate business’ website and asks the person to enter a credit card number and other PII so the record can be restored. In fact, the e-mail or website is controlled by a third party who is attempting to extract information that will be used in identity theft or other crimes.

The Federal Trade Commission issued a Consumer Alert on phishing in June 2004.