1 in 4 are targets of phishing scams

Date: December 08, 2005
Source: CNET News.com


Roughly one in four U.S. Internet users are targets of phishing attacks--phony e-mails seeking personal financial data--according to a study conducted by Time Warner's Internet unit AOL and the National Cyber Security Alliance.

In a phishing attack, e-mails ask prospective victims to verify personal information through links to real-looking Web sites.

According to the study, 70 percent of consumers who received such e-mails thought they were from legitimate companies.

"Phishers are getting better at tricking consumers into revealing their bank account and financial information, and most Americans can't tell the difference between real e-mails and the growing flood of scams that lead to fraud and identity theft," said Tatiana Platt, AOL's chief trust officer, who's in charge of privacy and security.
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