Description:
Phishing scams are disguised as correspondence from valid financial or eCommerce providers. The email typically uses fear tactics in an effort to entice the intended victim into visiting a fraudulent website. Once on the website, which generally looks and feels much like the valid eCommerce/banking site, the victim is instructed to login to their account and enter sensitive financial information such as their bank PIN number, their Social Security number, mother's maiden name, etc. What Happens:
The information collected is surreptitiously sent to the attacker who then uses it to engage in credit card and bank fraud - or outright identity theft. Tips to Remember:
The links provided in phishing email usually look legitimate. However, what you see displayed in email is not always what you get. See "Ferreting Out a Fake" for the tricks scammers use to disguise the real destination of that link.

Reporting Phishing Scams:
If you believe you have been the victim of fraud, contact your financial institution immediately via phone or in person. If you have received a phishing email, you can usually send a copy to abuse@DOMAIN.com where DOMAIN.com signifies the company to which you are directing the email. For example, abuse@suntrust.com is the email address for sending phishing emails purporting to be from SunTrust Bank.

If in the United States, you can also forward a copy to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) using the address spam@uce.gov. Be sure to forward the email as an attachment so that all important formatting and header information is preserved; otherwise the email will be of little use for investigative purposes.

Example of Amazon Phishing Scam: