No, it's not a mask. You can't mask IP addresses because all servers netstat(IPverify). Unless you just want to use that term very loosely, then I guess it can take on many meanings, but masking is when you assign yourself an IP that is different from your own. While some people call proxys an IP mask, it's not an actual mask. You can try for yourself under your NIC drivers, where it will allow you to actually mask things like your subnets, but when you connecto to anything, your IP is still there.
A proxy, on the other hand, will connect you to computer B, and computer B's IP address is what reports under your activity on Computer C(the website ect.) But your connection to computer B still uses your IP.
As for scams, like phishing, thats a different beast all together. If you send your information out, then you have been phished. It's all deception, trying to fool you into providing information. Just remember the general rules of thumb here to protecting your identity. Don't provide a credit card, social, address or acct number to unverified/untrusted sites. To phish someones identity, you need a name and a location at a bare minimum. Just one or the other alone isn't enough, unless your name/address is on a database someplace that fills the rest of the blanks.
