Online Gambling in Muddy Waters

We all get those emails. They come from the First International Bank or the Morgan Stanley Corporation or from e-Bay, and they ask you to confirm your account, which includes sending back your personal information.

The minute you do this they, the thieves, that is, have your full identity on their computer. Next, you will find that someone else collected your social security check before you got there or someone is buying very expensive shoes on your credit card account.

How it works
Phishing is planted into your system by a Trojan Horse, but it's not that heroic wooden horse out of Troy. In the context of computing and software, a Trojan horse, also known as a trojan, is malware (computer-esque for malicious ware) that appears to perform a desirable function but in fact performs undisclosed malicious functions. Therefore, a computer worm or virus may be a Trojan horse. This Trojan Horse sits somewhere deep in the belly of your computer and broadcasts you personal secrets to anyone who asks.

Industry on black list
The latest activists in the phishing world are the online gambling casinos. Online gamblers are becoming the No. l target for identity thieves, says IBM's X-Force Report, which analyzes trends in data security threats.

The four most common Trojan horses designed to steal passwords target gamers, though financial institutions remain another top target for phishing scams. Mainly, hackers set up a dummy Web site to steal user names and passwords.

Prone countries
Spain is the No. 1 origin of phishers with 16.7%, Italy is second with 15.1%, Korea is third with 11.3% and Brazil is next with 7.3%.

Our tips for you
Remember to play it safe when you are in the Internet. There is no limit to the information that the unscrupulous collect. Don't give your personal information to anyone and be careful with your credit card information.

Visit our casino reviews to see which casinos we recommend, float your concerns on our Discussion Forum, and read the safe and responsible gambling pages on our School section.