We tend to think we are more sophisticated than most people online, and to a degree that’s probably true. But that attitude of superiority can be our enemy if it causes us to drop our guard.

Target Stores were certainly no novice in online commerce, but their store systems wre the victim of a major data theft through a virus planted on their POS terminals.

You and I can have our sites hacked, too, if we are not hyper-vigilant. We can be attacked by viruses on our personal computers. And we can be victims of phishing.

Phishing is the sending of emails, appearing to be from legitimate businesses, groups or government agencies, that actually come from elsewhere and are designed to entice us to give the crook some personal information that can be used to perpetrate a crime. Maybe they want our government ID number (in the US, it’s called the Social Security number) or a credit card or bank account number.

Again, vigilance is required to avoid being caught in their schemes.

There’s an interesting online article about phishing on the PC Pitstop website. It addresses some of the danger signs you should watch for in an email.

As the name implies, 5 Most Dangerous Phishing Subject Lines gives you a forewarning about potential phishing attacks you may face.

Phishing is a sinister business. The perpetrators don’t take the information by force; they con the unsuspecting user into voluntarily turning it over to them.

They can try it on you; be alert. Don’t get caught.

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