Web Criminals
Criminal acts against a person have taken on a whole new meaning when it comes to the technological age. People are becoming victims of personal attacks daily on their personal computers. Will you be the next victim when logging on? If you have a concern or complaint, you can go to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx . The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). IC3 accepts online Internet crime complaints from either the person who believes they were defrauded or from a third party to the complainant. Naturally, you will have to provide them with pertinent information about yourself. The IC3 received 275,284 complaints in 2008; this was up 33.1% from 2007. Most of these cases were fraud, which netted approximately $264.6 million dollars in loss; an average of $931.00 per complaint.
Here are some tips to prevent credit card fraud:
•1. Ensure a site is secure and reputable before providing your credit card number online.
•2. Don't trust a site just because it claims to be secure. Secure sites usually have the letter "s" after the http//www.such and such...if this was a secure site it would read: https//www.such and such.
•3. If purchasing merchandise, ensure it is from a reputable source.
•4. Promptly reconcile credit card statements to avoid unauthorized charges.
•5. Do your research to ensure legitimacy of the individual or company.
•6. Beware of providing credit card information when requested through unsolicited emails.
•7. Attempt to obtain a physical address, rather than a P.O. box or mail drop.
•8. Ensure you are utilizing the most up-to-date patches for your software.
Phishing/Spoofing
Be suspicious of any unsolicited email requesting personal information. Avoid filling out forms in email messages that ask for personal information. Always compare the link in the email to the link that you are actually directed to. Log on to the official website, instead of "linking" to it from an unsolicited email. Contact the actual business that supposedly sent the email to verify if the email is genuine.
Some key points to consider:
•· Keep your password hidden or memorized.
•· Consider signing up for free paperless online billing or invest in a paper shredder.
•· I wouldn't download files or attachments with an .exe extension, even the ones from your family and friends. Most of the time your family and friends don't know they are forwarding you a virus.
•· Load your computer with Norton or McAfee to prevent viruses from e-mail cards-they can download malware onto your computer.
•· When creating a password, use something that is complex like, #uRlEarn!ng. There are programs that run through the dictionary until they find a password that unlocks.
•· Never click onto a bank e-mail that asks you to click onto another site that asks for personal information. Your bank will not ask for personal information on a website-those are fake sites.
