CPB Advises Parents to Protect Their Own & Children’s Private Details

According to a security report released by New York State CPB (Consumer Protection Board), a government agency that welcomes consumers' questions and complaints online, it is reportedly warning guardians, parents and others to protect their own and children's private information as the schools are re-opening and children returning, with reports of phishing frauds being reported all over the US.

The reports state that CPB is concerned about children's and their parents' private information being stolen in phishing attacks. The phishing scams abundantly increase, says the US Recent statistics from the Federal Trade Commission, saying that over 9 Million Americans each year have their payment card identities stolen over the Internet, with most incidents reported as phishing scams.

CPB reports, in accordance with the opinion of FTC and other security companies, that with children returning to schools, the latest ploy of online scammers is to dispatch e-mails to online users claiming that their children have been abducted and will be set free only on paying a hefty ransom. Consequently, the recipients are left with divulging personal information to phishers.

Mindy A. Bockstein, Chairperson and Executive Director of CPB, states that the enticement to share personal details online is drastically increased as the new season for school children begin. Bockstein adds that by being aware of laws that safeguard users from identity theft as well as knowing how to answer/react can save people's money and time, as reported by North Country gazette on September 5, 2008.

Talking more about precaution for Internet users, CPB states that Social Security numbers (SSN) must not be used, infact is unnecessary for school-related activities, as reported by North Country gazette on September 5, 2008.

Further, according to CPB, consumers should give away vital information only after being sure that it is going to the authorized receiver. This would give users another method to identify phishers and escape phishing scams.

And despite CPB together with FTC keep reminding users about clues to identify phishing scams, security investigators and analysts state that still a lot of users are becoming effortless baits of phishing who divulge their private details to phishers.

Related article: Cop Accused of Using spyware to Stalk His Ex

» SPAMfighter News - 9/12/2008