CallingID Warns of Pre-Christmas Phishing Scams

CallingID, a software provider of Internet security solutions, has issued a warning to online consumers to be on the lookout for pre-Christmas Internet phishing scams, exploiting pre-Christmas shopping habits. CallingID anticipates a wave of phony websites which users should avoid when they shop online.

Phishing has become one of the most popular tools for identity-theft scammers, trying to induce users to submit personal and confidential details to bogus sites. CallingID warns of a potential pre-Christmas wave of e-mail messages and pop-up advertisements which appear to be from online stores or e-commerce sites, but actually try to fool people into buying from fake sites.

Sophisticated scammers began using advanced phishing methods like DNS spoofing (known as pharming), which direct users, who are trying to access a real site, to the phishing site instead. The latest trend is installing malicious software on the users’ computer that records the keystrokes typed in websites, including usernames, passwords and credit card information, and transferring the data to a fraudulent site.

"When visiting a website, users usually see only what the owner of the site wants them to see, and bogus sites can hide their real identity and induce users to shop, offering unbelievable deals," said Yoram Nissenboim, CallingID CEO. "Users need an automatic tool that tells them who is behind the site. They need to know if it is a real company actively doing business in a familiar location and whether they can trust that company. CallingID is the only solution that provides this service and our users reported that they feel safer buying online since they automatically see all relevant details of the owner of the site they visit."

CallingID’s flagship product, CallingID for the Internet, is a free downloadable tool that resides on the Internet browser. Taking up minimal space, it instantly displays the owner of the site you visit, including its physical address. CallingID uses 52 verification tests to evaluate the risk of communicating or doing business with a website. When any of these tests fail, the user is urged to rethink his/her intention to submit personal information, username, password and credit card number, or to place an order from that site. It summarizes the results of the tests in a simple indication to help the user decide whether to proceed.

A personal copy of CallingID for the Internet can be downloaded for free from www.callingid.com. Installation is fast and simple.