News 6. Identity Theft Targets Americans.

<STYLE>P{margin-top:2px;margin-bottom:2px;}</STYLE> [NEW WORDS]   ♧ massive : a. 대대적인, 대규모의   ♧ scam : n. 신용사기(사건)   -v. 속이다, 사기치다   ♧ identity : n, 신원, 신분 증명서, 독자성, 본성   ♧ theft : n. 절도, 훔침   ♧ account : n. 계정, 계좌   ♧ suspend : v. 중단하다, 정지시키다      -n. suspension   ♧ PIN number : Personal Identification Number - 개인 식별번호   ♧ impostor : n. (타인을 사칭하는) 사기꾼, 협잡꾼   ♧ con : v. 속이다, 속여서 ~하게 하다, 속여서 빼앗다            n. 범죄자, 죄수   ♧ phishing : n. 피싱(온라인 ID 도용)   ♧ phony : a. 가자의, 허위의   -n. 가짜, 위조품(fake), 사기꾼   ♧ impersonate : v. ~으로 분장하다, 흉내내다, ~의 역을 하다   ♧ dupe :v. 속이다    -n. 잘 속는 사람, '봉', '밥', 앞잡이   ♧ divulge : v. (비밀 등을) 누설하다(reveal), ~을 폭로하다   ♧ mortgage : n. 주택 담보대출   ♧ good : a. 완전한, 신용할 수 있는, 자격이 있는   ♧ authentic : a. 믿을 만한, 확실한, 출처가 분명한, 진정한, 진짜의   ♧ typo : n. 오식(誤植)   ♧ bait : n. 미끼, 유혹  -v. 미끼를 달다, 미끼로 꾀어 들이다   ♧ fraud : n. 사기, 기만       And now to the massive scam taking place on the Internet, and if you get e-mail, you are a potential victim of this fast-growing form of identity theft. In the last year, an estimated 57 million Americans have been targeted, and it has cost us - you, credit card companies and consumers - more than a billion dollars.   Brielle LaCosta was trying to sell her car on eBay when she got a notice from the on-line auctioneer saying her account was about to be suspended.   "It was just basically saying, 'in order to get your account back, answer all these questions that you first filled out when you made the account."   So, the college sophomore resent her credit card, bank account, social security and PIN numbers, only to learn that the suspension notice was not from e-bay, but an impostor. LaCosta had been conned.   In the last six months, millions of Americans have been targeted by these cons, known as "phishing attacks," a rapidly growing on-line scam in which hackers pretend to be real companies.   They set up phony websites, usually impersonating banks or Internet service providers, then send out e-mails, hoping to dupe recipients into divulging personal information.   "So, they can take the information they get from a phishing attack, take out a mortgage in your good name, and not pay the mortgage and ruin your good name."   The websites look authentic at first, but many contain typos and misspellings. By the time the victims figure out they have been scammed, it's often too late.   "People are putting up websites and literally taking them down within hours after the phishing attacks. So, it's very difficult to find the person."  One-point-eight on-line consumers took the bait last year. Half of them became victims of financial fraud and identity theft. Brielle LaCosta hasn't lost any money so far, but that's not what worries her most.   "It's just, who's out there pretending to be me?"