So what is phishing again?!

I've covered the phishing phenom in the past, but according to the BBC there are still a *lot* of questions out there about just what it is, exactly. Simply put, it's online fraud - people trying to separate you from your personal financial information, passwords, etc. And phishers are getting more sophisticated, CNET reports, with trickier technology (making the phony Web sites their emails link you to look very much like the real thing) and better "social engineering" (being trickier or more persuasive in getting you to do what they want). It's not just about sending you to what appears to be your bank's Web site anymore. It may be a persuasive IM to your child that appears to be from one of their friends and tells them to download this cool photo or that awesome song or click to this online body-rating site. [This page at CNET has a helpful sidebar, "Many types of phishers in the sea."] Phishing requires increasing alertness on the part of both parents and kids - ideally a family discussion about careful downloading and clicking. There are also tech tools to help, for example FraudEliminator (see my 12/17/04 issue), and Internet service providers are increasingly providing tools to protect their customers.