100 Ways to Stop Internet and Other Fraud by Stan G. Webb (At Large).org© is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
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Over the last
year we have all noticed a tremendous increase in the number of news
items about Bank fraud, Credit and Debit card fraud, email spam
attacks, Internet fraud and Identity Theft. In the USA identity
theft is on the rise, with 11.1 million victims and an increase of
12% over last year. (Source: Grand
Rapids, MI (PRWEB) October 26, 2010). Estimated losses exceed
$100 Billion US Dollars. Other sources say that, as of December,
2010 the problems is now doubling every year.
Even J. Edgar
Hoover, the former director of the F.B.I. would never have dreamed
how things have changed in this modern world.
Now, I've decided
that it is not
enough just to complain about the problems.
If all of us do
not help
fix the problems,
they will only get worse.
This is so serious a matter that, if it continues, will
limit our
ability to freely use our computers and Internet
activities could slowly (or suddenly) grind to a stop.
I think it
is time for all of us to get proactive and block, catch and prosecute
these Internet
bad guys. We have all got a job to do
and I am confident that with a concerted effort from all computer and
Internet users worldwide that we can take back this onslaught from
these Computer
and Other Fraud artistes;
these
Internet bad guys:
- Report fraudulent activities so that the authorities can deal with Internet and other fraud. These are the links to reporting sites. FBI - Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | Home, Interpol - Information Technology Crime and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
- Take some time out of your busy lives to learn about the scams and frauds. Take steps to protect yourself. If you have not been doing some of these things already, you may already be compromised. Tips to avoid fraud: FBI, Interpol Checklists, RCMP Scams and Fraud, RCMP Internet Security.
Proceeding as
cautiously as I usually do, last year I was personally caught in a
criminally fraudulent process, a phishing
scam.
My simple mistake, I think, was made when I typed in my email
account name and password into my computer while I was in a Starbucks
(or
any other 'open' and unencrypted site).
Once I was on an 'open network' someone
(and, it could have been anyone in the vicinity of that wireless open
site) copied
all of my email address book information and sent out 'phony' emails
to my contacts,
pretending to be me, Stan
Webb.
Now I am doubly careful. After that incident I took my computer
in for a security review, 'scrubbed' the hard drive of all malicious,
suspicious looking material. And, added more anti-spyware and
anti-virus programs, and turned on all systems for daily virus
definition updating. I've
spent much of the last 8 months to doubly secure
my systems and learn other
suggestions to help us all increase our security. I
pass these on to you, with links, if you are
interested.
Of course, among many other things including notifying you that I
had been scammed, I had to change all of my many passwords.
I did find a great way to do that efficiently and for free at
LastPass 1 (more
information at the bottom 1 ).
In an effort to combat bad guy's Internet shenanigans I
joined WOT - Web of Trust which allows us all to report dubious sites
and THEN it automatically temporarily blocks a problem site, giving
us the chance to proceed, or not.
If you'll forgive me for a
moment, I'll revert to my teaching days. Of course we should always
set-up modern anti-virus, anti-spyware, e-mail scanner, link
scanner, resident shield and related programs. But, as
already mentioned, there is one more step you might like to take.
I've joined a group that allows us all to intervene to try and limit
these problem:
Safe
Browsing Tool | WOT
Web of Trust
- WOT
is a community-based, free safe surfing tool for browsers that
provides website ratings & reviews to help web
users as they search, surf & shop on line – before they even
enter a potential problem site. WOT is backed by all of the Internet
heavy weights, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and all! Once you join you
will actually become a reviewer
and can report any site against several standards that are
established.
For instance, this week a friend referred me to a site to check my driver's license information. When I tried to open it, because I have WOT installed, I was given a big RED CIRCLE warning. The site referred to me is not a trustworthy site. Do you know who this is? It had all of the hallmarks of a fraud and I subsequently reported it to the RCMP - Reporting Scams and Frauds.A typical spamming scheme is for someone to gather a lot of your personal information, and after that, clicking a box. That might any box asking for a mouse click, even if one that is written 'please remove'. You may not actually know it, but by clicking on a box "Please Remove" that, in itself, may be just a lie. In fact, it might actually give this curiosity seeker full access to your computer.
For instance, this week a friend referred me to a site to check my driver's license information. When I tried to open it, because I have WOT installed, I was given a big RED CIRCLE warning. The site referred to me is not a trustworthy site. Do you know who this is? It had all of the hallmarks of a fraud and I subsequently reported it to the RCMP - Reporting Scams and Frauds.A typical spamming scheme is for someone to gather a lot of your personal information, and after that, clicking a box. That might any box asking for a mouse click, even if one that is written 'please remove'. You may not actually know it, but by clicking on a box "Please Remove" that, in itself, may be just a lie. In fact, it might actually give this curiosity seeker full access to your computer.
This
looked like the type of fraudulent activities that the authorities
are trying to get a handle on. These links to their sites will take
you to information and reporting. FBI
- Internet
Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | Home,
Interpol
- Information Technology Crime
and the RCMP.
Tips
to avoid fraud: FBI,
Interpol
Checklists,
RCMP
Scams and Fraud,
RCMP
Internet Security.
The
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre advises consumers not to open unsolicited
emails or when the sender is unknown. Spam usually means scam. Just
delete them!
For more information, please do not hesitate to visit their website: www.antifraudcentre.ca
For more information, please do not hesitate to visit their website: www.antifraudcentre.ca
Le
Centre Anti Fraude du Canada recommande aux consommateurs de ne pas
ouvrir les courriels non sollicités; polluriel veut généralement
dire fraude. N’ouvrez pas un courriel dont l’expéditeur vous est
inconnu. Il suffit de les effacer!
Pour de plus amples renseignements, vous pouvez consulter notre site web : www.centreantifraude.ca
Pour de plus amples renseignements, vous pouvez consulter notre site web : www.centreantifraude.ca
Be
wary of pop up messages that call for an action. Do not download
unwanted software from these kind of pop ups as they are quite likely
have harmful software that can damage your computer or steal your
personal information. Following the above and below guidelines will
greatly help to protect you from Internet fraud, identity theft, spam
and Internet scams. Also check out websites like The Internet
Watchdog
for more advice.
Even without
access to your computer the bad guys in the Internet world can cross
correlate to all of the other information
on the Internet,
or in
your garbage can.
With just with your name and address, they can access your telephone
number, they can access your personal property records, registered
loans outstanding and so much more information that is openly
available on 'public - open source' web sites, like govt property
records.
There goal may be to eventually get your job pay stub and employer's name, your CPP, Bank Account, Debit and Credit Card, Insurance Policy, Old Age Security, Passport Information, Social Insurance or Social Security Number, Unemployment Insurance, Welfare receipts and any other information that will allow them gain access to all of your information - possibly setting you up for a case of 'identity theft'. A typical spamming scheme is for someone to gather a lot of your personal information including bank account, debit and credit card information. There have been many successful frauds committed this way – just by withdrawing all of the money out of your bank accounts, and getting a copy of you PIN number on your Credit/Debit Cards, and/or destroy your credit rating and make a mess of your entire financial life. The Internet bad guys just do not care about you.
There goal may be to eventually get your job pay stub and employer's name, your CPP, Bank Account, Debit and Credit Card, Insurance Policy, Old Age Security, Passport Information, Social Insurance or Social Security Number, Unemployment Insurance, Welfare receipts and any other information that will allow them gain access to all of your information - possibly setting you up for a case of 'identity theft'. A typical spamming scheme is for someone to gather a lot of your personal information including bank account, debit and credit card information. There have been many successful frauds committed this way – just by withdrawing all of the money out of your bank accounts, and getting a copy of you PIN number on your Credit/Debit Cards, and/or destroy your credit rating and make a mess of your entire financial life. The Internet bad guys just do not care about you.
Of
course, you know that you should shred all
of your incoming mail.3
Very often, dumpster divers are after a way more than bottles and
cans. They are after information about your whole life. One of the
things they may be getting ready to do is to send out change of
address cards to all of your creditors, even to your pension and
Income Department. That may give them a few months lead-time to do
bad things, without you even knowing it.
1
The
Last Password You'll Have to Remember!
- LastPass is a password manager that makes web browsing easier and
more secure. A full explanations is provided in a one hour and
fifty-four minute (1:54) Audio
or Video about Security Now 256: LastPass Security,
from Leo LaPorte & Friends (in this case with Steve Gibson
(TwiT).
The holiday spirit seems to
conjure up the criminal spirit too, as the holidays often see a spike
in the amount of identity theft, according to the Identity
Theft Resource Center | A Nonprofit Organization
(ITRC), which is a nonprofit United States national
organization for identity theft. Provides consumer & victim
support, public education, …
With more people shopping on
line, the increased pool of victims seems to lure out identity
thieves right along with those out for a shopping spree. Since you
are at more risk during the holiday season than you are at other
times of the year, take some necessary precautions to further protect
your identity, your credit and your money.
2
Guard Your Credit Cards
The plastic seems to fly out
more than usual as a way to make holiday purchases. While there are
advantages to using credit cards, doing so also increases the chances
that your credit card information may land in the wrong hands. If
you’re shopping on line, make sure that you’re checking out on a
secure server. This is often indicated on the site with the letters
SSL or with a verification badge, such as Verisign,
that authenticates it is a safe site. A secure site scrambles your
credit card information when it is transmitted from the shopping cart
of the website to the credit card processor. This prohibits a thief
from reading and fraudulently using your credit card information.
If you’re shopping on line, check with your bank to see if it
offers a one-time-use credit card number that you can plug in
when you’re making a purchase. This helpful tool prevents identity
theft since the digits can only be used once.
Many of my clients also use
PayPal
– to Send
Money, Pay Online and/or Set Up a Merchant Account, because
of its verification protocols.
If you’re shopping off line, pay with cash instead, if you can.
This saves your information from being stolen or 'swiped', and
eliminates the heart attack that can come with the credit card
statement after the holidays are over.
3 Shred and
Destroy
During the holiday rush, it is
also easy to lose track of important information or discard this
information without giving it much thought. Avoid throwing away
credit card receipts, packing slips and bill statements that contain
your name, address, credit card information and other personal
information that thieves can use to commit identity fraud. Believe it
or not, one of the primary ways thieves get your information is by
“dumpster diving,” which essentially equates to plucking this
information out of your trash. With but a few pieces of your
information, a savvy thief can piece together enough data to apply
for new credit in your name or fraudulently use your existing
information to spend your money. Shred, cut up and tear any papers
that contain any of your personal information.
4 Monitor
Activity
When your credit card or bank
statements come in the mail or land in your email in box, review them
line-by-line. Make sure there are no charges or purchases that you do
not recognize. Better yet, sign onto your credit card or bank
accounts on line and review your purchases at least once a
week. If you notice any unusual activity, contact the
credit card issuer or your bank immediately. The faster you
react to identity theft, the better your chances are of stopping it,
and preventing any further damage.
While identity theft may not
be stoppable, there are some simple steps you can take during the
holiday season to further protect yourself from falling prey. Shop
safely with your credit cards or use cash, shred and destroy any
receipts, packing slips or bills that contain personal information,
and carefully monitor your statement activity. These three simple
steps can go a long way in keeping the identity thieves away.
5 Do not accept
telephone solicitations
Register
at the various Do Not
Call lists and/or Registry websites set up to help block
telephone solicitations –
Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and the United States instructions
are all listed on this link: Stop
Telephone Solicitations (Unwanted Telephone SPAM)
6
Do not accept 'junk' mail, mark it 'return to sender', postage due -
as for email spam, block it without opening it
Register
at the various Do Not
Solicit lists and/or Registry websites set up to help block
postage 'snail mail and e-mail solicitations
– Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and the United States
instructions are all listed on this link: Stop
Advertising Material (Junk Mail) and eMail (Unwanted
'over-the-transom' Mail SPAM and inbox eMail SPAM). DO NOT throw
junk mail in the garbage without first shredding it.
7 Do not allow
yourself to be duped by 'door-to-door' solicitations or unsolicited
approaches on the street.
Unless
you really,
really
know and recognize the individual and the cause (Ie: Salvation Army
'Red Kettle Campaign') stay away from all solicitations, unless
you initiate
the request for information, and then only
pledge to
donate to the organization's head quarters, after you have had a
chance to check them out. Do not donate at the door or on the
street, even receipts can be forged by someone looking for their next
drug purchase, criminals, fraudsters and foreign terrorists. Tips:
FBI
— Common Fraud
Schemes
, INTERPOL
INTERNATIONAL
(search by categories), Types
of Fraud
- RCMP
8
Never divulge personal information about yourself, your family, your
friends or neighbors to strangers.
It is your own business. Let you family, friends and neighbors know
you are trying
to protect yourself and everybody, and ask them to pass this
information along, for themselves, as well.
9 Avoid Holiday
Scams – see Holiday
Hoaxes from AARP
In the season of giving, charity con artists do plenty of taking.
Please
BE CAREFUL out there,
and help the rest of us report the bad guys so they can be caught
and hopefully
stopped BEFORE
they also get our good neighbor or grandmother. Please do
not try to get in the middle and try to fix a potential threat by
yourself, that is what the police are trained to do.
I hope you have a safe
and happy holiday.
Related articles
- Fraud crackdown nets 500 people (bbc.co.uk)
- PhishLabs Joins Internet Fraud Alert (eon.businesswire.com)
- U.S. fraud probe: $10 billion in swindling (money.cnn.com)
- The Sad and Deplorable State of Internet Security (securityskeptic.typepad.com)
- Avoid the lump of coal in your holiday shopping carts (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- FBI
target 23-year-old Russian man behind a third of world's spam emails
(dailymail.co.uk)
At this time of year, sad to say, be particularly concerned about Holiday Hoaxes.
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