With the rapid growth in online business transactions, a new phenomenon in identity theft called 'phishing' has emerged. In this process, hackers use e-mails as bait over the Internet to hook you into giving your personal data such as passwords, credit or debit card numbers, or other personal information.

So what is the modus operandi of these hackers? A typical way of doing it is by sending out mass mailers where they request you to provide personal information. Even if a small percentage of people respond, they are able to achieve their goals. They use online mechanisms called spiders, which grab e-mail addresses over the Internet. E-mail addresses that have been posted on chat rooms; forums or websites are most susceptible to this tactic.

These e-mails sent by phishers closely resemble genuine e-mails that could have been sent to you by your bank, credit card issuer or online transaction portal. They generally ask you to reconfirm or verify your personal details with them, stating that they are updating their database.

Sometimes they even use the 'threat tactic' that there are certain problems with your account and it would be closed or suspended, if you do not respond within a certain time period.

Other methods of doing it is by using malware, which redirect your response to their website or spyware that collects data from your computer and transmits it to them.

Tell-tale signs

If a mail starts with: "Dear Customer" - Personal mails from service providers should contain your name, especially if they are important. Mass mails sent by phishers generally do not contain names of the addressees. "Your account will be closed in 72 hours if you don't respond" - The idea is to instill a false sense of urgency and make one act without thinking and provide the information asked for.

"Please verify you details with us" - Most genuine service providers would never ask customers to send out sensitive data for reconfirmation on the Internet. Moreover, why would they need to verify the data online if they already have it?

"Please click on the link below" - These are generally masked URL addresses that take you to a fraudulent site. "Alluring or urgent attachments" - Attachments sounding urgent or claiming to have mind-blowing pictures may contain malware or spyware.

Staying clear

A few tips to protect yourself from phishing scams: Do not respond to mails that you think are not genuine. Do not provide confidential information in response to e-mails purportedly from your service provider.

If in doubt, call up your service provider over the help line or go to the website by typing the address on your browser and check whether they have sent you any request for information or verification. If it is not a genuine mail, report the fact with details to your service provider.

Do not click on links on e-mails, even though the URL address may seem genuine, as it may be masked. It is always better to type the URL address in your browser. Do not fill any details in pop-up windows that appear when you click on any links, as they may be fraudulent.

Check if a site is secure before entering any confidential information or making financial transactions and check the security certificate. Install the latest anti-virus and anti-spyware software.

You can also install a phishing filter and use mailing software that is capable of protecting against spam and phishing. While making financial transactions through the Internet, you can use virtual credit cards, like the net-safe credit card offered by HDFC Bank, to protect your credit card details from being misused.

Do not open attachments from people you do not trust, especially those sounding very urgent or alluring to protect your computer from malware or spyware. Regularly change passwords on all your online accounts to prevent misuse and do not repeat old passwords when asked to change them.

Regularly open and review your online accounts and check transaction history. If you do so, you might be able to report and block any possible misuse or fraud at an early stag.

Following these simple tips can go a long way in helping you surf and transact on the Internet and yet stay out of the net spread by these phishers.