58% of computer users receive one Phishing email per day

IT Vibe reports that 58% of computer users receive one Phishing email per day. This information was gathered through a web poll of 600 business PC users. I get a lot of phishing emails myself, but I want to see them so I know who’s being phished and what the new techniques are.

I used to believe there were two types of users: those that could tell a phish and those that couldn’t. However, one of my very technical friends recently became the victim of a phish. He called me, urgently asking what he should do now that his PayPal information was in the hands of someone who obviously went out of their way to steal it. I offered the standard suggestions, notify the company, change all his passwords (at the very least for the place that got phished), did he disclose his SSN, etc. In the end, he didn’t experience any type of ID theft (at least not yet). Goes to show that even very technical and "savvy" computer users can now get hit by phishing (since the phishing techniques have improved).

Might be a good time to refresh yourself on Phishing and how to protect yourself. MailFrontier (a Zone Labs partner) who provides some of our email protections has a Phishing IQ test that can help. Also see:

• Wikipedia: Definition and info – Phishing

• FTC: How Not to Get Hooked by a ‘ Phishing’ Scam