Wave Systems Corp. (fka WAVXQ)

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O.T. Microsoft Sues Alleged Identity Thieves

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=738&e=1&u=/ap/20050331/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_...

19 minutes ago Technology - AP



REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp. on Thursday filed 117 federal lawsuits against unnamed defendants, accusing them of a high-tech form of identity theft known as "phishing."

The lawsuits, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, accuses the "John Doe" defendants of using mass e-mail or pop-up ads to coerce consumers into revealing personal information such as bank account information, passwords or social security numbers.


The Redmond-based software company said it filed the lawsuits in hopes of uncovering some of the largest operators.


In phishing scams, the Internet-based communications often purport to be from legitimate organizations, such as banks, and use that perception of a trusted relationship to get people to reveal personal information.


To avoid such identity theft, experts warn that users should be wary of giving out any personal information via e-mail or pop-up ads, especially if someone contacts them unexpectedly. Users also should be wary of clicking on e-mail links, which could divert a user to a malicious site that will then steal personal information.



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