'This message may not be from whom it claims to be'

Google's popular free web-based email service is testing phishing protection designed to alert members to potential email fraud attacks.


When a Gmail user opens a suspected phishing message, the software displays a large red dialogue box stating: "Warning: This message may not be from whom it claims to be. Beware of following any links in it or of providing the sender with any personal information." The service also provides a hyperlink to information on Gmail's help pages about email fraud.

Phishing fraud schemes typically use email messages that seem to come from a trusted service provider such as a bank or an online retailer. The messages contain links to websites that also seem to belong to those businesses, but that attempt to fool people into handing over sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers.

Gmail will also remove all live hyperlinks from suspect HTML-based emails to protect people's systems from potentially fraudulent websites. The addresses of the sites can still be accessed by examining the original code of the email, a feature that Gmail provides.

Read full article: silicon.com