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How
To Avoid Online Scams
by
Gary Gresham
According
to an FBI report from 2003 to 2004 online
scams doubled with nearly ten million
new victims. This crime cost those victims
nearly $5 billion of money they could
not afford to lose.
Sadly,
people are continuing to fall for online
scams where identity theft is the spammers
goal. These con artists and hackers are
just waiting to commit online fraud and
steal your identity.
Here
are a few of the most popular online scams
to be aware of so you can avoid becoming
a victim.
Phishing
Scam
The
phishing scam is when a spammer sends
you an email claiming to be from a reputable
bank. The email complete with authentic
bank logos asks you to log in and verify
your account information.
Then
the spammer captures your account information
and helps himself to your account. They
sometimes will sell your information to
other criminals and you can become a victim
of identity theft.
Congratulations
You've Won Scam
This
email scam tells you have won a big prize
like a big screen TV or even the lottery.
To claim your prize you need to pay for
the shipping and handling with your credit
card.
In
the case of winning the lottery they ask
for advanced fees to cover costs. The
only prize you get is discovering mysterious
charges on your credit card.
Pharming
Scam
Pharming
is one of the latest online scams and
rapidly growing threat that has been showing
up a lot on the Internet. The pharming
scam is similar to phishing scams but
with a new twist.
The
pharming scam works by redirecting your
Internet browser. When you type in a website
address into your web browser you are
redirected without your knowledge to a
bogus site that looks identical to the
genuine site.
Once
you log in with your login name and password,
the information is immediately captured
by the scammer. With the pharming scam
you no longer have to click an email link
for your personal information to be stolen.
The
best thing to do when you or someone you
know has become a victim of one of these
online scams is to report it to the authorities.
Otherwise these thieves get away without
ever getting caught.
Report
online scams to The Internet Fraud Complaint
Center or (IFCC). They are a partnership
between the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) and the National White Collar Crime
Center (NW3C). Their web address is: http://www1.ifccfbi.gov
IFCC's
mission is to address fraud and online
scams committed over the Internet. For
victims of online fraud, IFCC provides
a convenient and easy-to-use reporting
mechanism that alerts authorities of a
suspected criminal or civil violation.
Be
aware of these online scams and report
them to the IFCC so you can avoid becoming
a new victim. It makes the Internet a
safer and more enjoyable place for all
of us.
Copyright
© 2005 Spyware Information.com All
Rights Reserved.
This
article is provided by http://www.spyware-information.com
where you will find free spyware cleaners,
downloads, removal software, computer
firewalls and valuable tips. For regularly
updated articles about adware, spyware
and protection from identity theft go
to http://spyware-information.com/articles_1.html
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