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07/22/03
On July
21, 2003, the Federal Trade Commission, in concert with
the National Consumer's League, Earthlink
(an Internet
service provider) and the FBI, launched an initiative intended
to educate the public about a dangerous new form of online
fraud. In the words of Special Agent Jana Monroe, Assistant
Director of the FBI's Cyber Division, "Bogus e-mails
that try to trick customers into giving out personal information
are the hottest and most troubling new scam on the Internet."
Let's say you get an e-mail from your service
provider or another company you known. It says, "There's been a
problem with your account. Please click on this link and
update your information." You click through to a site
that looks right, but it a fake. If you fill out the form,
you've just handed it to a thief. That's what's called "spoofing" or "phishing" --
and you don't want to be caught. To learn more about cyber-crime
and how to protect yourself, read the FBI press release or
visit the Internet Fraud Complaint Center.
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