One Step Ahead

Scammers engaged in "phishing", the practice of sending fake e-mails to users in the hope that they will divulge confidential information, have a pretty good chance of success, according to two recent reports.

MSNBC reports on a study by anti-spam firm MailFrontier Inc., which reported that more than one in four users couldn't tell the difference between a fake e-mail from a company like eBay or PayPal and a legitimate e-mail from the same company.

Consulting firm Gartner Inc. reported in May that more than one million American Internet users had fallen prey to phishing, being tricked into giving out private or confidential information.

This is a big problem, and it's not going away any time soon. The early phishing attacks were easy to spot because they were often written with poor spelling and grammar, and had obvious give-aways like incorrect domain names. However, the scammers are getting better at their craft - much better - so it takes extra vigilance to stay ahead of them.

The Common Sense Guide to PC Security helps to keep you safe.