The most common method and easiest method for phishing is email. In a typical scenario, a phisher would send deceptive emails, in bulk, with a “Need for Action” that asks the recipients to click on a link.
Examples of a “Need for Action” includes:
- A statement that there is some problem with the recipient’s online account which he/she holds with a financial institution. The email further asks the recipient to visit the web site of the institution in order to correct the problem, by clicking on a deceptive link provided in the email.
- A statement that the user's name has been selected in a lottery draw and asking him to claim it online using the deceptive link given in the email.
- A statement that the recipient’s account is at risk from various fraudulent things happening online, and offering to enroll the recipient in an anti-fraud program.
- A fictitious invoice for some merchandise, mostly offensive merchandise, that the recipient did not order. The email asks the user to click on the link contained in the email to cancel the order, if it is not correct.
- A fraudulent notice of an undesirable change made to the user’s account, with a link to “dispute” the unauthorized change using the deceptive link provided in the email.
- A claim that a new service is being rolled out at a financial institution, and offering the recipient, as a current member, a limited time opportunity to get the service for free.
- A claim that the user has earned billion of dollars in online lottery draw and asking him to deposit money in some bank account, so that the legal proceeding can be completed before transferring the money.
The users are tricked into visiting the faked website created by the Phisher and entering their account information there. This information is then transferred to the Phisher's server and he/she may use it to dupe the user of his money, send spams from his mail account or for some other illegal activities. But most of the time, the phisher does not directly cause the economic damage but resells the illicitly obtained information onto a secondary market.
Last update : 03-07-2007 07:47
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Campaigns 
