MADISON, Wis. -- There is a growing danger on the Internet.

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Dangerous Phishing On The Internet

It's called "phishing."

And while it sounds harmless, its goal is to trick computer users into giving up their personal information. In simple terms, phishing is the act of confusing consumers into willingly giving up their personal information.

The ploy can be from a false e-mail to fake Web sites.

The trouble is that the fake often looks very much like the real thing. Internet experts say every day, millions of phishing lines are cast across the Internet.

"They want their bank accounts, their passwords, their Social Security numbers," said UW Credit Union Director of Marketing Mary Hanneman.

Hanneman advises customers that their banking institution would never ask for personal information over the Internet.

Nothing in the e-mail directly states that it's a fraud.

Some of the easiest phishing to believe is a fake e-mail from Paypal saying that it flagged your account, or your own bank saying you will lose online access unless you verify your information.

"It's very difficult for you to tell the difference, and very difficult for us to tell the difference, because it's very sophisticated email you get," said NameProtect CEO Mark McLane.

At NameProtect, 100 computers work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week searching for subtleties that indicate a phishy e-mail.

After the tsunami in December, the numbers spiked.

"Over a weekend we found 170 suspicious sites which we forwarded to the FBI," said McLane.

The key to cracking the phishy code is to compare the address bar. If the web address has numbers, it is most likely phishy.

McLane says his company is taking down as many of these sites as they can to protect consumers and E-commerce.

"If you don't trust the e-mail you receive, the growth of the online environment will be slowed down," said McLane.

More than a billion of phishy emails are sent out each month.

The Web site Antiphishing.org will show you what false things to be aware of. To protect yourself, never open a suspicious email. If you do, don't fill out any forms or click on any links. Instead, contact the actual business, but be aware the number in the email is often fake as well.

When you do give out personal information online, look for the padlock in the bottom right corner. That means your information is protected.