Prairie Public Broadcasting

Stenehjem: "Phishers" becoming more sophisticated BISMARCK, ND (NDPR) - North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem says so-called "phishing" scams are getting more and more sophisticated.

Those scammers use the Internet to scare customers of certain banks or on-line services into giving out personal information -- and the scammers steal a person's identity. Stenehjem says, for example, the "phishers" are targeting customers who may be using e-bay or PayPal.

"Folks will get e-mail, saying there's a problem with your account, or we're updating information, or your account is canceled or about to become canceled," said Stenehjem. "Then they have a link that you're supposed to click on. If you do, you go to a Web site that for all intents and purposes looks exactly like the legitimate Web site. There, you are asked to enter personal information, and then, with that information, these scam artists will use that information to steal your identity."

Stenehjem says e-bay and PayPal offer protection -- in that you can forward the e-mail to "spoof@ebay.com" or "spoof@paypal.com" -- and they will tell you whether it is a scam.
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