Prevent fraud

The dangers of online fraud.

Internet Fraud is on the rise, as fraudsters and con artists continue to find new ways to use the Internet to scam innocent consumers. Internet fraud is popular because of its anonymity, ease of promotion, and lack of borders.

Internet fraud includes, but is not limited to:

• Fraudulent or fake Web sites
• Untrustworthy Web sites
• Phishing, a type of deception designed to steal your valuable personal data, such as credit card numbers, passwords, account data, or other information.
• Fake online auctions by both buyers and sellers
• Advance fee scams (Nigerian 419, lotteries)
• Business opportunities and work-from-home scams
• International modem dialing and cramming
• Credit card fraud

Fraudsters are always on the lookout for the latest technology to use for malicious gain. But that's where you can fight back. By employing the proper security tools and staying informed, you can reduce the risk that you, too, will be fooled by an Internet scam.

How to protect yourself.

Installing security software is a good start in preventing online fraud. Although 100% prevention is impossible, there are some logical precautionary measures that you can take to reduce the potential of being conned by phishing scams.

• Before providing credit card or financial information, ensure the merchant has a secure payment transaction system. Look for one or both of these signs that the site is secure: (1) A lock icon at the bottom of the screen, in the status bar of your browser; if the site is secure, the lock will be closed; (2) The Web site address begins with https - the 's' indicates that the site is secure.
• Type important Web URLs and do not use URLs from emails claiming to be from your bank.
• Don't reply to scammers 'phishing' for your personal information in a variety of ways, including fraudulent emails claiming to be from your bank or other institution asking you to confirm personal details that the requesting institution should already possess.
• Never respond to emails that ask for personal information. Banks and other organizations that hold your personal information will never send an email asking you to verify personal information.
• If you are unsure of the source of the email, you should not click on links within emails that appear to be from a legitimate company. Instead, directly type the URL in your browser address bar, or call the company on a contact number previously verified or known to be genuine.
• Each month, closely inspect your credit card bills, banking receipts, and other financial records for unusual items or purchases.
• If unsure as to the legitimacy of an email, seek advice from the legitimate corporation using verified contact details--don't use any contact information in the suspected email. For other potentially fraudulent emails, delete the email, or forward the message to a fraud protection service that investigates such incidents.
• Always ensure that your operating system and browser software are kept up-to-date using legitimate upgrades and patches issued by the software vendor.

Helpful tools.

Anti-virus software can detect and delete virus files before they can attack a computer. These virus programs can search your computer for personally sensitive information and pass the information to fraudsters.

Anti-spyware software can prevent harmful spyware and adware files from being installed on your computer without your knowledge, allowing others to monitor your Web browsing patterns, track what you purchase, and inundate you with annoying pop-up ads.

A personal firewall can monitor both incoming and outgoing Internet traffic from your computer, protecting it from being hacked into and from having viruses or spyware installed without your knowledge. Most firewall programs also block unauthorized access to the Internet from your computer.