Was ist eigentlich Phishing?

Phishing is the sending of an email that falsely claims to be from a known, legitimate company in an attempt to trick the recipient into revealing personal information that can be used for identity theft. The customer is redirected to a website where they are asked to update personal details such as passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, and bank account details.

By copying HTML code or framing parts of pages, it's quite easy to make a website appear genuine.

Many people fall victim to email scams designed to steal login details for accounts like PayPal, eBay, online banking, and others. The scammers send emails to any address they can get their hands on, so you might receive one even if you don't have an account with the targeted business, website, or company.

The appearance of scam emails is getting better and better. You might receive an email from eBay that looks like it's from them. The email contains all the necessary logos and is presented in a uniform way. The links in the email even seem to lead to real eBay pages.

For example, emails claiming to be from eBay state that the user's account will be blocked if they do not click on the provided link and update their credit card details.

Other scams involving PayPal often include a notification about unauthorised access attempts. The sender informs you that someone has tried to access your account. As a result, you risk having your account „frozen“.

However, if you open the link in the email (as instructed), you can enter your password and prevent your account from being lost. Those who were unlucky enough to give their login details to strangers have undoubtedly done so.

Remember that this isn't just about PayPal. Similar emails are also sent to Storm Pay, e-gold, eBay and other users. Be on your guard against scams like these that try to trick you into giving information (like passwords) that allows the sender to gain access to your account.

If you receive a suspicious message, open a new browser and type in the URL for your account. Never open a link in an email that supposedly takes you to your PayPal account. Your account information (and your finances!) will be safer if you make this a rule.

If you feel that you have submitted confidential financial details about yourself or other accounts due to a phishing scam, you should take the following steps:

– Contact your bank or account provider immediately.

– Apply for a fraud alert on your credit report by contacting the major credit bureaus.

– File a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

– If you believe you have been a victim of a phishing scam, you can also report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Centre.

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