When times are tough and people are vulnerable, scam artists jump to take advantage. In this issue of BeaconBits, we take a look at phishing, an online scam tactic, as well as other alarming trends that are surfacing during our current economic state.

• Phishing is an online scam tactic that uses e-mails that appear to be from a legitimate source, but were actually created by scam artists, to gain personal information. The e-mails usually direct people to a web site that collects credit card information, social security numbers, online passwords, etc.
  
  
• Watch a brief AARP video about how to avoid online phishing scams.
  
  
• See two examples (example 1, example 2) of e-mails that scam artists created to look as if they originated from the IRS. These examples are available on the IRS web site, along with other tips on how to identify and report phishing.
  
  
• How would you respond to a “phishy” e-mail in your inbox? Take a quiz and find out.
  
  

• In these tough economic times, scammers are taking full advantage of people in difficult financial situations. Read about five current scams.
  
  

• Don’t fall for ads offering government grants as a result of the stimulus package. Check out this question and answer column for more info.
  
  
• You can keep up to date on the latest scams on the web and in the news by signing up to receive regular e-mails from Google.com.
  
  
• If you think you may have been scammed it’s very important that you report the incident. Submit a claim to the Federal Trade Commission.