Phishing attacks are a form of electronic fraud that often take the form of "spoofed" emails and webpages. Phishing emails often ask you to follow a link to what looks like an official webpage for an organization, but is really an attempt to trick you into entering personal information. Spoofed webpages often appear similar to their real counterparts, and even seasoned internet users can be fooled by them.
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Parts of a Web Address
The trick to avoiding spoofed webpages is the web address, also known as the URL. People who phish may be able to duplicate everything about the way a webpage looks, but a web address can't be duplicated. A web address is divided into four parts: protocol, subdomain, domain name, and webpage location. People who phish manipulate these parts in order to make their websites look legitimate. If any of these parts look suspicious, you shouldn't enter any personal information, such as usernames or passwords, into the website.
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