In 2004, 57 million U.S. adults received phishing e-mails. In 2006, that’s up to 109 million. I get several a day among the dozens of spam e-mails I receive.

Why? Because phishing works! Financial losses from phishing attacks rose to more than $2.8 billion in 2006. Even though people are getting wiser to phishing scams, and fewer people say they lost money to phishers, when they did lose, they lost more. From 2004 to 2006, the average loss per victim has grown from $257 to $1,244. In 2005, victims recovered 80% of their losses, but in 2006, they only recovered 54%. To learn more, visit eMarketer.

Even if you receive an e-mail from a company you do business with, DON’T CLICK ON THE LINKS. Go to the Web site yourself and log in to do your transactions. To learn how to avoid becoming a victim of such scams, see www.antiphishing.org.