What is a phishing (pronounced similarly as "fishing") site?

According to Yahoo! Safety:

           A phishing website (sometimes called a "spoofed" site) tries to steal your account password or other confidential information by tricking you into believing you're on a legitimate website.

Sample scenario:

A (phishing) site poses as an online banking portal requiring the visitor (victim) to enter their online banking details. After pressing the Login button, the website displays a message saying that "Your request cannot be processed. Site is undergoing maintenance"

The victim waits for a few moments to try again only to receive the same message over and over. Finally, the victim decides to use an ATM only to find out that his/her account has been wiped clean and all of his/her hard-earned money is now gone.

That is how most phishing sites operate. They copy a legitimate site's layout and trick the users into keying in their personal accounts.

How do I avoid being a victim?

Number 1: Double-check the URL

o  Make sure that you know where you're supposed to be and make sure that you are actually where you're supposed to be

Number 2: pro-tip: Try to mistype your password on purpose to check if the site is actually verifying your details or would simply accept anything you’d key in to it.

Sometimes, the things you see on the internet are not true. Yes, people deliberately publish fraudulent content on the internet. It may be news articles, promo sites, or a person's profile. Why? We may never know. But to help users be free from being victims of fraud, here are some tips for you:

• Do not assume that everything you read on the internet is true. If an offer online seems too hard to believe, then don’t believe it (as is shown on the first page of this topic). Eye-catching offers or ads may tempt you to click their links. In some cases in the news department, a headline may deliberately be written with a meaning opposite to its content so as to create an intriguing effect on readers.

 Img from https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/audio/video/2013/8/29/1377792199425/The-Onion-at-25-010.jpg?w=700&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=d6e58e9d111fecf9f6cddd7ddbd1fd38

• Never provide information if the people requesting the data conceal their identities. If you need to disclose information on the internet, make sure that the site is reliable. If you think that the site is not reliable, leave it immediately.
• Img from http://technofaq.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/online-scam.jpg
• Do not give out personal information, especially credit card numbers and banking info, without knowing who is asking for it. This applies most to online shopping. Be sure to check if your seller is genuine to prevent yourself from being scammed.

• Report fraud immediately to authorities of the site (if there are any). Spam emails or troll comments may be reported to their respective social media authorities. You may also block such sites or users that promote fraud.

  Img from http://www.stopfraudcolorado.gov/sites/default/files/15OAG010_S1-Report-Fraud-Button_600x300.png

Source: Hofstetter, Fred T., Societal issues, Internet literacy, 2007

So you've figured out how to access the Net. Congratulations!

You've probably signed up for a social networking site account (even if you're only supposed to when you're already older than 13)  and are ready to take on the big bright beautiful world of the internet.   

There are a lot of things that the internet makes easy for us—it makes communication easier, homework help more accessible and even shopping, faster.

However, the internet also makes it easier for unscrupulous individuals to get to their next victim.

So, in order for you to maximize the benefits of using the internet and to protect yourself, your family and the community from these online predators, here are some of the common online threats and tips on how to avoid falling victim to any of them.

Things to be aware of:

· Phishing Sites

· Identity Theft and Posers

· False News

So you've figured out how to access the Net.

Congratulations.

You've probably signed up for a social networking site account (even if you're only supposed to when you're already older than 13) ☺ and are ready to take on the big bright beautiful world of the internet.   

There are a lot of things that the internet makes easy for us—it makes communication easier, homework help more accessible and even shopping, faster.

However, the internet also makes it easier for unscrupulous individuals to get to their next victim.

So, in order for you to maximize the benefits of using the internet and to protect yourself, your family and the community from these online predators, here are some of the common online threats and tips on how to avoid falling victim to any of them.

Things to be aware of:

· Phishing Sites

· Identity Theft

· Posers

· False News

· Adult Sites (tips for parents for their children's safety)