Ars Technica reports that "42 percent of adults in the UK feel that their trust in a brand would be greatly reduced by receiving a phishing e-mail claiming to be from that brand, according to an online survey conducted by research firm YouGov."

While this is certainly unfair, we can't help but feel that it's probably true. The endless stream of phishing emails claiming to be from Bank of America make us feel irritated with Bank of America even though we don't have an account there and know perfectly well that they aren't sending us phishing emails. Irrational? Certainly.

Anyway, here's the (obligatory) part of the post where we remind you not to click links in emails. Type them in yourself.

The IRS is warning consumers of a new email scam going around posing as the IRS and soliciting donations for the California wildfire victims.

From the IRS:
In an effort to appear legitimate, the bogus e-mails include text from an actual speech about the wildfires by a member of the California Assembly.

The scam e-mail urges recipients to click on a link, which then opens what appears to be the IRS Web site but which is, in fact, a fake. An item on the phony Web site urges donations and includes a link that opens a donation form which requests the recipient's personal and financial information. The IRS also warns that clicking the link downloads malware. "The malware will steal passwords and other account information it finds on the victim's computer system and send them to the scamster."

The IRS asks you to forward this email and any other IRS-related phishing scams you get to phishing@irs.gov.
It's not a good week for Vonage. VoIP Security firm Sipera has announced that they've If you have a PayPal or eBay account, or use OpenID to login to participating sites, then for $5 you can add a second layer of security that is virtually impossible to break unless the thief physically locates you and steals a little plastic device. The SmartMoney has a list of six scams every online shopper should watch out for, but which we like to think Consumerist readers already know about. Still, better safe than sorry:

1. Missing Auction Goods - Auction fraud represents over a third of Internet scam complaints every year. Your safest bet is to pay with plastic so you gain the protections of the Fair Credit Billing Act. When plastic's not an option, setting up an account through PayPal or BillPay that connects to your credit card is the next best bet.

2. Free Stuff - You already know the drill—free Xbox 360! Right after you jump through these six customer acquisition hurdles and agree to these trial offers and sign up four friends. If there's a free deal you feel you have to take advantage of, use a disposable secondary email account. Heck, that's what Google and Yahoo! are there for.

3. Bogus Payments - We've covered