NEW YORK: Roughly one in four U.S. Internet users are targets of phishing attacks -- phony e-mails seeking personal financial data -- according to a study conducted by Time Warner Inc.'s Internet unit AOL and the National Cyber Security Alliance.

In a phishing attack, e-mails ask prospective victims to verify personal information through links to real-looking Web sites.

According to the study, 70 percent of consumers who received such e-mails thought they were from legitimate companies.

"Phishers are getting better at tricking consumers into revealing their bank account and financial information, and most Americans can't tell the difference between real e-mails and the growing flood of scams that lead to fraud and identity theft," said Tatiana Platt, AOL's chief trust officer, who's in charge of privacy and security.

"Consumers need to be aware of the risk, and they need to use critical protections like anti-virus software, spyware protection, and a firewall to help protect them from online threats," she said.

The study showed that 81 percent of home PC's lack either updated computer software, spyware protection or a secure firewall.

"Far too many people still lack the three fundamental protections they need to stay safe online," said Ron Teixeira, executive director, National Cyber Security Alliance.