In lame-man terms what is "Phishing" mean concerning Internet safety?

It's LAY man not lame man :)

Handy link bout phishing e-mails: http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/phishing鈥?/a>In lame-man terms what is "Phishing" mean concerning Internet safety?
it is someone sending you an e-mail that looks real and asks you to update your security or enter your user name and password anything that will ask you for personel information! Once they get that info they can break into your account/s Lots of e-bay or paypal looking e-mails! A real one from any company will NEVER ask for a password on a site linked to the e-mail! Always type in the site you want to go to in your browser then you can be sure you are really on the site you want to go to!In lame-man terms what is "Phishing" mean concerning Internet safety?
Phishing is illegally trying to obtain a person's password or other personal information (such as bank account details) by posing as trustworthy entity.



For example, someone would send you an email claming to be from PayPal and feed you some story about losing your details on their computer system. They then ask you for your bank account details so they can re-input it into the system again. Once they have your details they just empty your account. The stories they make up vary, as well as the company they are posing as (PayPal and eBay are the most targeted), but they end result is they same, they want to trick you into giving them details they can use to get your money.In lame-man terms what is "Phishing" mean concerning Internet safety?
as simple as it gets?

they send you a email pretending to be somone else to trick you into giving them stuff like your password or credit card
they dont always have to email you though..the most common way and the one that will probably affect you is phishing done on myspace...you've prolly seen it, you randomly start getting messages/comments from friends advertising sites/products? it basically just means their accounts been taken over cos someone has their password...easily resolved (on myspace anyway) by changing your password...