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WASHINGTON, DC—Just because an email says it’s from customerservice@yourbank.com, how can you be sure? According to the National Consumers League (NCL), online identity thieves frequently use emails pretending to be from people’s banks or other trusted sources to trick them into providing their account numbers and other personal information, a practice called “phishing.” How’s a consumer to know whether the “sender” of an email is really who they say they are? New information at www.phishinginfo.org launched today explains how technology can help protect consumers from potentially dangerous emails by verifying the source of email messages. Email authentication technology confirms that the sender of an email really is who it claims to be. “For example, Internet Service Providers that deliver emails to you can use authentication technology to look for tell-tale signs of phishing, such as when the ‘From’ line doesn’t match the address from which the message was actually sent,” said Susan Grant, NCL Vice President for Public Policy. “Suspicious messages can be flagged with warnings, and those that are obviously phishing attempts can be kept from ever reaching your inbox.” Another tool to fight phishing is email certification. “Email certification goes one step further by verifying not only the source of the message but that the sender is a business in good standing,” said Richard Gingras, Chairman, CEO, and Co-founder of Goodmail Systems. In order to have their email messages accredited, companies must go through a process of being checked by an independent third party. In addition to steps that email senders and Internet Service Providers can take to assure the authenticity of messages, there are tools that consumers can find on the Internet, such as phishing filters and anti-phishing toolbars, many of which can be downloaded free. NCL has partnered with Goodmail Systems to increase public awareness about email authentication and certification. Visit www.phishinginfo.org, and click on “How to Protect Yourself” for more information. |
