Phishing becomes more popular

Reports of email fraud and phishing attacks increased by 60 per cent in February, according research from the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG).

"Phishing attacks continue to increase in number and sophistication," said Dave Jevans, chairman of the APWG. "We are seeing more use of Java-script, pop-ups and cross-site scripting techniques to fool even sophisticated users of the internet."

The report stated that between 1 and 5 per cent of recipients responded to scams, which resulted in financial losses and identity theft. In February, users reported 282 new phishing attacks to the group, which averaged 9.7 per day.

Phishermen mostly targeted Ebay customers, and the financial sector.

A US government website, Regulations.gov, was also spoofed.

The APWG has over 200 members.