OUT-LAW is organising an Edinburgh Phishing Conference on 23rd
November 2004 to address the problem in the UK.
The study on victims of spoofing and phishing scams was
conducted by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by TRUSTe, an
on-line privacy non-profit organization and also NACHA, an
electronic payments association.
The report reveals that 76% of consumers are experiencing an
increase in spoofing and phishing incidents and that 35% receive
fake e-mails at least once a week. It is based on a national sample
of 1,335 internet users across the US.
Seven out of 10 respondents revealed that they have
unintentionally visited a spoofed Web site and more than 15% of
spoofed respondents admit to being phished, providing sensitive
private information including credit card numbers, checking account
information and Social Security numbers.
Sixty-four percent of respondents surveyed said that it is
unacceptable for organisations to do nothing about spoofing and
phishing, and 96% want companies to consider new technologies to
help authenticate e-mail and on-line sites.
Internet users are also interested in having organisations work
with law enforcement to shut down the spoofers before they
strike.
"Consumers should be cautious when disclosing sensitive
information unless they have proactively initiated the online
transaction," said Fran Maier, president and executive director of
TRUSTe. "This simple consumer protection message needs to be
conveyed through a broader consumer education campaign."
"This is the first study to objectively estimate the impact of
phishing and spoofing on American consumers," said Dr. Larry
Ponemon, founder and chairman of Ponemon Institute. "As we become
more educated on the problem, organizations will be better equipped
to develop strategies to address these issues."
