Phish is an Internet scam designed to trick the recipient into revealing credit card, passwords, social security numbers and other personal information to individuals who intend to use them for fraudulent purposes. The scam is known as "phishing" and the communications are sent to appear to look as if they come from reputable companies. The e-mails often instruct the recipient to verify or update account information by requesting a reply to his e-mail with updated information, or by providing the recipient with a link to a website where the new information may be entered. Anyone who receives such an email should not respond to it, or click on any links provided, but should contact the company who purportedly sent the notice, to inform them of the scam.

Phishing is when the bad guys make a complete fake copy of a familiar website, such as your bank account, and when you unknowingly enter your user name and password it conveniently sends the information back to the bad guys who then make life miserable for you. So, no, you don't want anything to do with it and want to protect yourself from it.

Of course you should use good internet security programs and also be careful when going to a site from any email. There are other ways for internet criminals to fake you into going to a fake site such as adding links right into your favorites (should be protected by software though).

AOL was a very popular phishing target.
Klaa2

phishing wiki

phishing tips

if you use firefox current browser it has built in protection
firefox phishing blocker

federal trade commission info

Thank all of you for your information. I'm finding, in my advanced years, that there is a population of pretty nasty people out there in cyberland as well as right in my neighborhood! My golden years are becoming very smoggy! Pat