Beware of Facebook phishing

You receive an email from Facebook warning you that your account information needs to be updated urgently or else it will be suspended. In a panic, you click on the link in the email and you are brought to Facebook’s web site. Without giving it a second thought, you enter your user name and password to access your account online. In that moment, you have just given away your password to an unknown criminal. You've been the victim of a phishing. Oops..!

This type of fraud is typically initiated by sending an unwanted but official-looking email claiming to be from Facebook, Keep in mind that cyber criminals will go all out in trying to make their emails look as valid as possible. in that e-mail there will be a link for you to click on, that will take you to their website. And guess what? The website they take you to will look like the real Facebook home page but it is not the real Facebook website. It is a website created by cyber criminals. The web page will contain official logos and look exactly the same as Facebook web site, any information submitted via these spoofed web page(s) will be sent to the cyber criminal who sent you the fake e-mail

Phishing is one of the fastest growing cyber crimes, since the criminals who send out these Phishing messages are good at what they do, it’s important to be able to recognize a Phishing email so you won’t respond to their request and give away your password. Phishing is a big problem, but the question is how you can protect yourself from phishing.

Tips to Avoid Phishing Attacks

• Follow the golden rule. Never, ever, click the links within the text of the e-mail. If you are truly disturbed that you will lost your Facebook account, then type the full URL address (www.facebook.com) into your browser. That way you can be confident that you are being directed to the true and genuine Facebook website. Go directly to the site - never click on the links given in the email. That way you can check the status of your account safely because you'll know you are at the right location. Don’t panic and let them trick you into clicking on their link.

• Never log in or enter private information in a pop-up window. Clicking on links within phishing emails may direct your browser to genuine Facebook web site while, at the same time, opening another pop-up window wherein you are asked to enter your information. This makes it appear like the pop-up window is part of the legitimate site when, in reality, it is not

• The newest Phishing scam is a message that states you have won a gift card somewhere, so be aware of this and protect yourself.

Characteristic of Phishing Email Message

• It’s not easy to spot an email phishing for information. At first glance, the email may look like it is from a legitimate company. The "From" field of the e-mail may have the .com address of the company mentioned in the e-mail. The clickable link even appears to take you to the company's website, but in fact, it is a fake website built to replicate the legitimate site.

• Phishing schemes frequently use scare tactics, such as telling you that your Facebook account is being suspended, to make you act quickly and without thinking. Don't fall into their trap!

• Most phishing emails contain a link that leads to an official-looking web page which requires the recipient to log in or enter some personal information. Though the web page may contain official logos and look exactly the same as the legitimate company's web site, any information submitted via these spoofed web page(s) will be sent to the perpetrators of the scam.

• Have a look at how the email addresses you. Most phishing e-mail will say something along the lines of "Dear Facebook user". This is the very first thing you should look for in a phishing e-mail. Any email that doesn't address you by your name is a spoof. Facebook always address you by the name you registered with on their site, they NEVER send out emails saying"Dear valued customer", "Dear member" etc.

• Some more advanced Phishing messages have started to include your name or email address instead of the generic "Dear member" or "Dear user". So even if your email were addressed to you I would strongly advise you not click on the ling in an e-mail.

• Some phishing sites will include popup message boxes. Genuine sites don't use popup boxes telling you to enter details.

Identify Spoof/Phishing Emails

• Look in the part of the header that says "Received From". If the email has come from anyone other than the sender it's a spoof. I had a spoof email and notice that the email had been sent from a Yahoo account. Obviously a real email from Facebook will not be sent from yahoo, Google etc.

  Note :- now there are way that anyone can send e-mail with fake send e-mail services which allow the criminals to send e-mails like it is from support.facebook.com, deactivation.facebook.com etc so now advanced phishing attack will not come from a Yahoo or Gmail account so always my advice is not to click on the links in an e-mail. Knowledge can be power when it comes to protecting yourself from Phishing scams. Be aware of the tricks a criminal might do to steal your password

• How do you check to see if the link is genuine? Point at the link with your mouse, and then look in the bottom left hand screen of your computer. The actual website address to which you are being directed will show up for you to view. This is a fast and easy way to check if you are being directed to a genuine site.

• Read the email carefully and looks for any spelling or grammar mistakes. You can be sure that any genuine emails won’t contain simple spelling and grammar mistakes.

Note :- Some of the most common phishing scams around are bebo, ebay, facebook, friendster, google, habbo, msn, myspace, paypal, rapidshare, Twitter, skype, twilight wap, youtube,

Finally, follow the golden rule. Never, ever, click the links within the text of the e-mail