Opinion by Larry Ponemon

AUGUST 24, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD)

Tom was an avid collector of antique train sets. One morning while scanning his e-mail, he noticed one from an online auction site from which he purchased a good part of his collection.

The e-mail had the familiar logos and graphics Tom was accustomed to seeing with a tempting message that he could purchase a 1938 Lionel caboose for less than $50. The message was irresistible. Tom provided his credit card number and shipping address. The site also asked for his Social Security number. Not thinking twice, Tom entered the nine digits. The next day, on his way to the grocery store, Tom stopped at his bank's ATM. To his horror, his balance was zero. He also found that his savings account was wiped out. A "phisherman" had hooked another victim.

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