Inform Yourself To Avoid Cyber Scams

Tue, Sep 18th 2012, 10:17 AM

The Internet makes it easier to accomplish many things - banking, research, travel and shopping are all at our virtual fingertips. And just as the Internet makes it easier for legitimate pursuits, it also makes it easier for scammers, con artists and other online miscreants to carry out their virtual crimes, impacting our real life finances, security and peace of mind.These Internet scams are constantly evolving - here are the most common today:

1. Phishing scams Phishing

email tries to trick the intended victim into visiting a fraudulent website disguised to look like a valid eCommerce or banking site. The victim thinks they are logging into their real account, but instead everything they enter on the fake site is being sent to the scammers.Armed with this information, the scammer can wipe out the victim's accounts, run up their credit cards, or even steal their identity.

2. Greeting card scams

Greeting card scams arrive in email pretending to be from a friend or family member. Clicking the link to view the card typically leads to a booby-trapped web page that downloads Trojans and other malicious software onto the systems of the unsuspecting.

3. Nigerian 419 scams

Nigerian 419 scams (aka Advanced Fee Fraud) date back to the days when fax machines and snail mail were the primary business communication tools. Today, email is the preferred method of these scammers and there are more Nigerian 419 Advanced Fee Fraud scams - and victims - than ever before.

Tips

• Don't open email attachments from anyone you do not know.

• Before you click a link in an email check the URL is pointing to the correct web site that the email is suggesting. Eg.. if you get an email from a bank, make sure the URL is going directly to the official bank website.

• Use a separate email address if you are subscribing to public listings of forums

• Report any email scams to the U.S. FBI at www.IC3.gov o Contact ScamBusters.org letting them know of the potential scam http://www.scambusters.org/feedback.html

• Forward any Nigerian scams to the United States Secret Service 419.fcd@usss.treas.gov.

• Online Edge is a weekly feature aiming to improve how you interact with technology. For more information on this article, you can send an email to customerservice@bahamaslocal.com or call 676.2683.

• BahamasLocal.com is a user-friendly search engine with exclusive listings on businesses and community organizations in The Bahamas. it includes information pertaining to local businesses, news, classified, movie listings, TV movie listings, jobs and local events.

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