How to Disable Phishing Filter From Your Computer

A lot of people still fear using the computer because of viruses and malicious people that use computers to serve their own needs, at the expense of others. Indeed, this is not an unfounded argument. The truth is that there are many types of manipulations that can be done by malicious people on your computer. This explains the existence of viruses and anti-viruses. One of most recent developments in this respect is phishing filters. Before we take a look at how to disable phishing filter from your computer, you need to understand what phishing is.

Phishing is the act of "fishing" data and information from the computer by use of the Internet. There are a number of tools that are used for fishing. They include spywares and emails. Malicious people can access information on your computer and steal your information without you having any knowledge of it. The typical accounts that people attempt to phish include financial accounts that cannot be traced. Their primary purpose is to keep you out long enough for them to clean out your account and skip town. By the time you realize what has happened, they will have cleared your account, leaving you nothing.

The most common accounts that are phished on the Internet are eBay and PayPal accounts. Besides the usual spyware tools, phishers also make use of simple emails that they send to unsuspecting users. It is therefore important that you protect yourself from phishers using appropriate tools such as phishing filters. However, the phishing filter may at times become too aggressive in the way it filters websites and you may want to disable it in order that you may enjoy a smoother Internet surfing experience. Therefore, you want to know how to disable phishing filter from your computer.

If you are using Internet Explorer 7, click on the icon to launch the program. Click on the "tools" menu and from the drop down menu select the phishing filter option. Then select "Turn off Automatic Phishing Filter" and click OK. On the other hand, if you are using Internet Explorer 8, launch the program and select the safety option on the menu bar. Select the "Smartscreen Filter" option and thereafter select "Turn off Smartscreen Filter" option. Disable the phishing filter on the dialog box and click OK. Following these steps will enable you to turn off the phishing filter and enjoy a smoother surfing experience.

However, it is quite risky leaving the phishing filter off as you expose yourself to a high risk of identity theft when you are on the Internet. One of the strategies that phishers use is sending you an email with a subject line such as "Password Change Required", "Your account is suspended" or "Last Warning" among others. Be wary of such emails as they have software that records your keystrokes and later uses them to log into your sensitive accounts. Therefore, as you learn how to disable phishing filter from your computer, you should also understand the full importance of using this tool.

The emails that are sent from the phishers may seem as though they originate from PayPal or eBay, but they actually provide a link to the phishing page. These pages are made to have a striking resemblance to the original eBay and PayPal page. Unsuspecting users will end up giving sensitive information such as credit card numbers and password away to unscrupulous individuals and lose their hard-earned money. In addition to the phishing filter, make use of robust anti-virus software that detects spyware in order to protect your personal information and cash from Internet fraudsters.