Dutko Summary:  An April 14 report from Gartner reported more than 5 million U.S. consumers lost money to phishing from September 2007-September 2008-a 39.8 percent increase from the previous year.  Researchers believe this is caused by a social trend that places more trust in the Internet than ever before.  Additionally, a rise in the amount of malicious web content makes it more difficult to avoid hackers.  In 2008, approximately 80 percent of wired adults received a phishing email, up from 41 percent in 2004.  Of those who received a tainted email, approximately 4 percent said they lost money due to the attack-a significant number when previous averages hover around 1.5 percent.  Bank of America, PayPal and eBay remain the most frequent targets.

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