Consumers still fall for phishing scams, and scammers make it easier for us to be fooled.
Although financial institutions try to use technology to keep your accounts safe, we (consumers) are the weakest link. Security experts say that education is the most effective way to prevent damage from these scams, and that means teaching people not to click on links in e-mail messages.
The Identity Theft Council's Neal O'Farrell notes:
"The phishing only works if the consumer participates; they have to click on something; they have to open something."
The best thing you can do is read your email with a healthy dose of skepticism. Call your bank or financial institution if anything looks funny. Yes, time is scarce and we're all busy -- but identity theft will take much more time to clean up.
Unfortunately, you have to be more vigilant than in the past. Scammers may research you and include details that suggest a personalized message. In fact, it is personalized -- they're not just sending thousands of messages to random addresses anymore.
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