Don’t Get Pharmed

Newest form of phishing - the stealing of personal information while online - is something to be alert for when you are online, say two consumer organizations.

Are you getting pharmed? In observance of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the National Consumers League and the National Cyber Security Alliance have partnered to warn Internet users about this new form of phishing scam.

In this newest form of phishing, called “pharming,” a virus or malicious program secretly planted in a consumer’s computer hijacks the computer’s Web browser. When a consumer unknowingly types in the address of a legitimate Web site, they’re taken to a fake version of the site without realizing it. Any personal information provided at the phony site, such as passwords or account numbers, can be stolen and fraudulently used.

As with any phishing scam, the two organizations said, it is always best to practice safe Internet use. Tips along this line include not clicking on email links which ask for personal information, not entering your personal information in a pop up screen and protecting your computer with spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software and a firewall.

More online safety tips can be found at fraud.org.

“People want to be able to use their computers and go online with confidence,” says Susan Grant, Director of the National Consumers League’s National Fraud Information Center and Internet Fraud Watch programs. “Phishing, pharming, and other sneak attacks erode that confidence and need to be combated with all the tools at our disposal, including educational information about how people can keep better control of their computers and their privacy.”