• Originally published July 12, 2008 at 4:08 p.m., updated July 12, 2008 at 4:08 p.m.

Recently, a scam involving the Texas Attorney General’s office prompted officials at the agency to send out a warning about fraudulent e-mails. The deceptive e-mail in question appeared to originate from the attorney general’s office as it was embedded with a photo of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and a logo from the agency’s Web site. The message included refers to an account and package at the United Nations.

This particular e-mail did not contain any attachments or links to a Web site, but it is clear the culprit was attempting to gather personal information by a method known as phishing. This kind of phishing does not involve a rod and reel, but it does use bait. And that bait can be very deceiving.

If you have an e-mail account, it is highly probable you have been a target of a phishing scam at one time. Most of us have grown accustomed to such ploys and delete these deceptive e-mails that appear to arrive from well-known retailers, banks or other companies. Sadly, not everyone is quick to hit Delete.

Let’s say Maude opens her inbox and reads an e-mail informing her that she must quickly verify her online account at the Ham-of-the-Month Club, or she will not receive next month’s supply of Bavarian smoked ham. Rattled by the potential interruption of pork products and the “hamergency” that could ensue, Maude quickly clicks on the link in the e-mail, connects to Hams-R-Us.com and types in her personal data, including credit card and bank information. Unknowingly, Maude has just sent all her data to a criminal who now has access to her financial accounts.

Before you sign off of the Internet forever and cancel your ham mailings, there are several ways to avoid falling for these e-mail scams.

If you receive an e-mail asking you to update personal data, account passwords or other sensitive information, do not respond to the e-mail and do not click on any links within the message. Most legitimate companies will not ask for this information via e-mail.

Even if the e-mail you receive looks genuine and has an official logo, this does not mean it is legit. Many of these e-mails contain links to Web sites that look like the real thing, when in actuality you are accessing a bogus site. Instead, go to the site using a bookmark or by typing out the web address. If you are still concerned, contact the company directly to confirm the legitimacy of the request.

Once you are on a Web site where you are required to enter personal information, there are a few things you can check to ensure the site is not a fake. Look at the site’s address to see if it is secure. To do this, verify that the Web site address begins with “https” and that a closed padlock icon is visible on the browser. The closed padlock indicates the site uses encryption to securely transfer sensitive information. When this padlock is double-clicked, information about the site’s digital security is displayed. If you receive a warning that the address of the site does not match the certificate or if you notice the name issued on the certificate does not match the Web address you are visiting, exit immediately.

Another thing to consider is using a browser with a phishing filter installed. Most browsers such as Firefox, Opera, and Internet Explorer have this feature. It is also important to keep your anti-virus software up-to-date, just in case you do accidentally click on an unfamiliar link. In addition, it is good practice to monitor all your online accounts regularly and report any suspicious activity.

Finally, a little common sense is also the best way to protect from phishing scams. If you get an e-mail from a Russian prince offering you millions in exchange for a small cash advance and a canned ham, don’t believe it. In Russia, ham scams you.

CJ Castillo writes about technology for the Victoria Advocate. Questions about all things tech or gifts of cured hams can be e-mailed to digitalbabble@gmail.com or sent care of The Victoria Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77902.

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