Phishers send an email or a pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you deal with – for example, your Internet service provider (ISP), or bank. The message usually says that you need to “update” or “validate” your account information. It might threaten some dire consequence if you don’t respond.

To make these e-mails look even more real, a scam artist might put a link in a fake e-mail that appears to go to the legitimate Web site, but actually takes you to a scam site. They might even create a pop-up window that looks exactly like the official site. These copies are often called "spoofed Web sites."

Once you're at one of these spoofed sites you might unwittingly enter even more personal information that will be transmitted directly to the person who created the site. They might then use this information to purchase goods, apply for a new credit card, or steal your identity.