In Short: Most Web Surfers Reeled In By PhishersIn Short: Most Web Surfers Reeled In By Phishers

Phishing could cost consumers $500 million this year, according to a study conducted by the privacy research group Ponemon Institute. Three-quarters of the 1,335 American Internet users surveyed say they experienced an increase in the deceptive E-mail practices known as phishing and spoofing. More alarming, 70% unintentionally visited a spoofed Web site, and about 15% admit revealing sensitive personal information in the process. Two percent claim to have experienced direct monetary loss because of phishers. Law enforcement can't contain the problem. Only 3% of reported identity thefts result in arrests. "It's just so lucrative," says Avivah Litan, research director at research firm Gartner. "We're at the beginning of a multiyear cyberwar."