Law enforcement officials use the word "phishing" to describe a type of identity theft by which scammers use fake Web sites and e-mails to fish for valuable personal information from consumers. The FBI also is calling it the "hottest and most troubling new scam on the Internet." Even the FDIC's good name was used fraudulently in a phishing scheme. This is how it works:

• A consumer receives an e-mail which appears to originate from a financial institution, government agency, or other well-known/reputable entity.
• The message describes an urgent reason you must "verify" or "re-submit" personal or confidential information by clicking on a link embedded in the message.
• The provided link appears to be the Web site of the financial institution, government agency or other well-known/reputable entity, but in "phishing" scams, the Web site belongs to the fraudster/scammer.
• Once inside the fraudulent Web site, the consumer may be asked to provide Social Security numbers, account numbers, passwords, PIN’s, or other information used to identify the consumer, such as the maiden name of the consumer's mother or the consumer's place of birth.
• When the consumer provides the information, those perpetrating the fraud can begin to access consumer accounts or assume the person's identity.

These thieves are very good at convincing you that you are receiving a legitimate message or using a Web site from a trusted source.

Never provide your personal information in response to an unsolicited call, fax, letter, e-mail or Internet advertisement.
If you did not initiate the communication, do not give this information, regardless of how legitimate or genuine these people or entities may appear to be.

If you decide to initiate a transaction with a bank or other entity on the Web, take some simple precautions.
Do not provide personal information to a Web site using a link from an e-mail or an Internet advertisement, no matter how legitimate it may appear. You are always safer typing in the URL (Web address) from scratch, assuming you type it in correctly. The problem with typing a URL incorrectly or guessing about a Web address is that some fraudulent, copycat sites deliberately use URLs that are very similar to, but not the same as, those for well-known companies or government agencies. When contacting your bank, for example, use the phone number or Web address listed on your monthly statements or other literature from the institution.

Quickly report anything suspicious to the proper authorities.
Report any questionable e-mail message or Web site to the real bank, company or government agency, using a phone number or e-mail address from a reliable source. Example: If your bank's Web page looks different or unusual, contact the institution directly to confirm that you haven't landed on a copycat Web site set up by criminals. Customer inquiries about changes to a Web site are one of the most prevalent ways that banks and other organizations are finding out about unauthorized sites containing the look and feel of a legitimate Web site. If you are pretty sure an e-mail or Web site is fraudulent, contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center (http://www.ifccfbi.gov/), a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.

What if you believe you are already a victim of ID theft, perhaps because you submitted personal information in response to a suspicious, unsolicited e-mail or you spotted unauthorized charges on your credit card? Immediately contact your financial institution and, if necessary, close existing accounts and open new ones. Also contact the police and request a copy of any police report or case number for later reference. In addition, call the three major credit bureaus (Equifax at 800-525-6285, Experian at 888-397-3742 and TransUnion at 800-680-7289) to request that a fraud alert be placed on your credit report. You can visit http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/ for more details.

You also can file a complaint or learn more about ID theft by going to the Federal Trade Commission Web site at http://www.ftc.gov/index.html or calling toll-free 877-382-4357.