Is Phishing Netting More Victims than Previously Reported?

Are more people being caught in phishing scams than previously reported? A study by Indiana University illustrates that this is very likely the case:

"The study, one of the first of its kind, reveals that phishers may be netting responses from as much as 14 percent of the targeted populations per attack, as opposed to 3 percent per year."

The study was conducted by simulating "phishy" e-mails from eBay. They then monitored how many people clicked on the link (lure) and logged on their site.

Phishing is a leading cause of identity and financial information theft.

The reason why phishing might be under reported is that a lot of people don't want to admit they fell for a phishing scam.

Interesting read, here.

I recommend we all take the time to report the "phishy" e-mails in our inboxes.

Here are two places, one can do so:

PIRT Phishing Incident Reporting and Termination Squad

PhishTank