Phishing is the act of attempting to acquire information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money) by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication(via Wikipedia). Phishing, also referred to as brand spoofing or carding, is a variation on fishing, the idea being that bait is thrown out with the hopes that while most will ignore the bait, some will be tempted into biting.The fake Hyundai Interview Call Letter circulating on the internet from quite some time now is one example. Here's the one I received a few days ago.
Few things to be noticed about it are:
- The mail is from some isep.ipp.pt instead of some hyundai.com or hyundai.co.in
- The letter does not address me by my name. Therefore it's a generalized mass email sent by spammers to hundreds of people hoping that a few would fall in trap.
- The mail asks me to make a security deposit of Rs.18K, which no such established organization will ever do.
- The letter does not address me by my name. Therefore it's a generalized mass email sent by spammers to hundreds of people hoping that a few would fall in trap.
- The mail asks me to make a security deposit of Rs.18K, which no such established organization will ever do.
So, in case you ever receive such a mail, do not fall for it. Rather mark it as spam to avoid receiving any further mails from them.
Another example is Fake Microsoft Job Offer Letter.
Many-a-times the purpose of such mails is identity theft as in the following cases.
Another example is Fake Microsoft Job Offer Letter.
Many-a-times the purpose of such mails is identity theft as in the following cases.
And, if you're on Twitter, you might want to read this, Don't Fall For Phishing On Twitter.
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