Pharming may catch up with phishing

SAN JOSE, Calif. (4/21/05)--Online crooks are beginning to move from phishing to pharming to reap a bigger harvest of identity theft victims. Experts warn that pharming may be more sinister than phishing because it's harder to detect (Mercury News April 6).

Unlike phishing, which uses e-mail spam to deliver fake messages, pharming operates through fake Web sites. It automatically directs computer users from a legitimate Web site to a fraudulent copy of that site with no warning signs. Once a victim is transferred to the fake site, it collects passwords, credit card numbers, and other private information for the purpose of committing identity theft. Phishing requires a response from the victim, but pharming does not.

One expert compared phishing to pulling individual fish out of an ocean, and pharming to throwing out a big net.

Currently, pharming attacks are rare, but security experts warn that they could become a problem in the coming months, exploding much the same as phishing attacks did during the past year.

Online users are urged to watch for uncommon log-in processes that don't look the same as on the legitimate site. Some fraudulent sites will ask users for information such as a Social Security number, not normally required.

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Resource Links
Statement Stuffer: ID Theft: How to Prevent It and How to Get Over It
Resources to fight phishing fraud


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