A relatively new means that criminals use to try and steal your identity, or personal information, is known as Phishing. This technique uses a technique quite similar to actual fishing - send out a bunch of emails (fishing lines) and hope to catch a victim (fish).

With the phishing technique, criminals create emails that are modeled after emails sent out by companies you might do business with. Through these impostor emails, you are directed to click on links that take you to a bogus website, again modeled after the real company website. You are tricked into giving out your personal information for the thief to use.