Don't Get Hooked By An Internet Phishing Scam. If you haven’t heard of this you have definitely come to the right place! Phishing (pronounced like ‘fishing’) is one of the most prevalent threats to your online security today. As you know, ‘fishing’ is a sport where you cast a line into water that has a hook with some sort of bait on the end of it. Unsuspecting fish, see the bait, say a nice juicy worm, and take a big bite. Unfortunately, along with the juicy worm is a sharp hook. You know what happens next to the fish in this story.
‘Phishing’ is a similar sport except you are the fish. A phisher uses email as the line and an urgent message as the bait to catch unsuspecting online users.Here’s how phishing works:The unsuspecting fish (you) receives an email (the line) that looks like it comes from someone you would likely trust such a bank, online store, the CIA or even your internet service provider (AOL, EarthLink, NetZero, etc).
The email message has an urgent message (the bait) that says that something has occurred that requires you to ‘immediately’ respond. The most common message is that your online account has been accessed fraudulently and you must provide information to keep your account from being closed. The email will have a link to click or a form to fill out. If you click the link you will be taken to a site that looks just like you would expect from your trusted site. Here’s where you, I mean the fish, gets yanked out of the water and end up flopping around on a boat… The site you go to is actually a ‘spoofed’ (fake) site.
A criminal somewhere in the world has taken over a website somewhere else in the world and created a site to look just like the real one. So that site that says ‘Welcome to Your Bank… Login here’ and looks just like your bank’s website it is really only a cover for a criminal. Any information you enter on this site, such as a user-id, password, credit card number, PIN, address, etc. is now in the hands of the phisher and every other criminal in the world willing to pay a couple of bucks (or Euros, Yen, Rubles, etc) for it.
The phisher can now access your online accounts, charge items to your credit card or attempt Identify Theft. Now you know what the fish feels like… How do you avoid being ‘hooked’ by a phisher?As a rule of thumb NEVER, NEVER respond to an email that is asking for personal or financial information unless you can verify its authenticity through another source. Assume the request is FAKE until you can verify it. Even if it appears to be from a known party, such as your bank or online service, call a customer service number that you get somewhere other than from the email to verify.
If customer service doesn't recognize the email, just delete the message. Never open files attached to emails unless you can verify the source. Unfortunately most spam attachments contain viruses that can destroy your PC or steal your personal/financial data. Install free Phishing detection software. Many online services such as PayPal (www.paypal.com), eBay (www.ebay.com), Amazon(www.amazon.com), Bank of America (www.bankofamerica.com) and others now have free tools for their customers.
You can also try free software from McAfee(www.siteadvisor.com) or Symantec (www.symantec.com) that will alert you if the site you are on might be dangerous. Consider upgrading to Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 or another browser that has built in phishing detection. Don't end up dangling at the end of a phishers line.Aubrey Jones is President and founder of Riverbank Consulting, Inc. Since 1996 he has worked to protect internet banking clients for one of the top US financial institutions.
By:Aubrey Jones
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Lottery Scams - Don't Become The Next Victim
Lottery Scams - Don't Become The Next Victim. I must be the luckiest person alive. In the past three days I found out I won 1.5 Million Euros in the UK lottery, One Million Euros in the Winx International Lottery, 1.5 Million Euros in the 2007 E-Mail Lottery, and 500,000 Pounds in an e-mail lottery held by the Coca Cola Company.
Wow! What did I do to receive all these riches?The sad truth is there are actually people who fall for these schemes. For the promise of a quick buck (or million Euros as the case may be) people will turn over their bank account numbers, wire money in the hopes of getting more back, or give other information that could lead to identity theft.
These lottery and sweepstakes schemes have gone on long before the internet, with one of the oldest being the phony sweepstakes which required an entrance fee to claim your prize, which amounted to more than the “prize” was worth. Another variation of that scheme was requiring the potential “winner” to call a certain number to find out if he or she was a winner. The phone call cost the potential “winner” a certain amount per minute with an unusually-long wait time on hold. The real winner was the scamming company which made money off the phone calls.
Today’s thieves have a wide choice of scam-delivery mechanisms, including in person, the mail, phone and internet. However, the same holds true no matter how the scam is delivered: if it sounds too good to be true, it is.
How Can You Recognize the Lottery or Sweepstakes Scam?There are certainly legitimate lotteries and sweepstakes offers. Who hasn’t bought a state or multi-state lottery ticket from their local lottery retailer? Or, who hasn’t seen one of those sweepstakes offered by a recognized company advertising in the coupon section of the Sunday newspaper? You fill out the entry form or reasonable facsimile (usually a 3”x5” card) with your name and address and send it off. Therein is your biggest clue as to whether you’re the victim of a scam.
In a legitimate lottery or sweepstakes you have bought the ticket or entered your name and address. In a scam lottery or sweepstakes you are notified you’ve won when you haven’t even entered or bought a ticket. In addition, it’s illegal to use the mail or telephone to play lotteries across borders, whether national or state lines. Any lottery offer involving the purchase of lottery tickets for other state or country lotteries could end up with you being charged with illegal activities.
One ploy used by foreign scammers involving lotteries or sweepstakes is offering you an “advance” on your winnings. The scam artist will send you a check for part of your “winnings.” All you have to do is wire them payment for “taxes” or other official purposes. By the time you find out their check has bounced the money you wired is in their hands. And, because it was wired it’s harder to trace.
Lottery scammers don’t always use e-mail or the phone. Sometimes they do their dirty work in person. A typical scam would go something like this: You are approached in person by someone who claims he or she just won the lottery but isn’t eligible to claim it. They offer to split the money with you if you claim the prize. Sounds good, right? Except that before you claim the prize from the lottery retailer you are required to withdraw some money from your account and give it to the ticket holder as a good-faith gesture. By the time you find out you’re holding a non-winning lottery ticket, the thief is long-gone with your good-faith money. In order to protect yourself from these scams, it’s important to remember the following:Lotteries
• It’s illegal to use the mail or telephone to play lotteries across borders.
• If you ever receive a phone call, letter or e-mail announcing you just won a lottery, it’s a scam. Sweepstakes
• It’s illegal for a company to require you to pay to win or claim a sweepstakes prize.
• It’s illegal for a company to suggest that buying something will improve your chances of winning
.• Companies cannot ask for money from you for taxes they say you owe on a sweepstakes winning.
• Be cautious when entering sweepstakes from displays you see in malls – often times these are people just wanting your name and address for a future sweepstakes scam.
• Only enter sweepstakes from recognizable companies, and never pay a fee to enter.Avoiding being the victim of a scam takes a healthy dose of skepticism. If you are ever unsure about the legitimacy of an offer made to you, you can call the National Fraud Information Center’s Hotline at 1-800-876-7060.
By:Shari Hearn
Wow! What did I do to receive all these riches?The sad truth is there are actually people who fall for these schemes. For the promise of a quick buck (or million Euros as the case may be) people will turn over their bank account numbers, wire money in the hopes of getting more back, or give other information that could lead to identity theft.
These lottery and sweepstakes schemes have gone on long before the internet, with one of the oldest being the phony sweepstakes which required an entrance fee to claim your prize, which amounted to more than the “prize” was worth. Another variation of that scheme was requiring the potential “winner” to call a certain number to find out if he or she was a winner. The phone call cost the potential “winner” a certain amount per minute with an unusually-long wait time on hold. The real winner was the scamming company which made money off the phone calls.
Today’s thieves have a wide choice of scam-delivery mechanisms, including in person, the mail, phone and internet. However, the same holds true no matter how the scam is delivered: if it sounds too good to be true, it is.
How Can You Recognize the Lottery or Sweepstakes Scam?There are certainly legitimate lotteries and sweepstakes offers. Who hasn’t bought a state or multi-state lottery ticket from their local lottery retailer? Or, who hasn’t seen one of those sweepstakes offered by a recognized company advertising in the coupon section of the Sunday newspaper? You fill out the entry form or reasonable facsimile (usually a 3”x5” card) with your name and address and send it off. Therein is your biggest clue as to whether you’re the victim of a scam.
In a legitimate lottery or sweepstakes you have bought the ticket or entered your name and address. In a scam lottery or sweepstakes you are notified you’ve won when you haven’t even entered or bought a ticket. In addition, it’s illegal to use the mail or telephone to play lotteries across borders, whether national or state lines. Any lottery offer involving the purchase of lottery tickets for other state or country lotteries could end up with you being charged with illegal activities.
One ploy used by foreign scammers involving lotteries or sweepstakes is offering you an “advance” on your winnings. The scam artist will send you a check for part of your “winnings.” All you have to do is wire them payment for “taxes” or other official purposes. By the time you find out their check has bounced the money you wired is in their hands. And, because it was wired it’s harder to trace.
Lottery scammers don’t always use e-mail or the phone. Sometimes they do their dirty work in person. A typical scam would go something like this: You are approached in person by someone who claims he or she just won the lottery but isn’t eligible to claim it. They offer to split the money with you if you claim the prize. Sounds good, right? Except that before you claim the prize from the lottery retailer you are required to withdraw some money from your account and give it to the ticket holder as a good-faith gesture. By the time you find out you’re holding a non-winning lottery ticket, the thief is long-gone with your good-faith money. In order to protect yourself from these scams, it’s important to remember the following:Lotteries
• It’s illegal to use the mail or telephone to play lotteries across borders.
• If you ever receive a phone call, letter or e-mail announcing you just won a lottery, it’s a scam. Sweepstakes
• It’s illegal for a company to require you to pay to win or claim a sweepstakes prize.
• It’s illegal for a company to suggest that buying something will improve your chances of winning
.• Companies cannot ask for money from you for taxes they say you owe on a sweepstakes winning.
• Be cautious when entering sweepstakes from displays you see in malls – often times these are people just wanting your name and address for a future sweepstakes scam.
• Only enter sweepstakes from recognizable companies, and never pay a fee to enter.Avoiding being the victim of a scam takes a healthy dose of skepticism. If you are ever unsure about the legitimacy of an offer made to you, you can call the National Fraud Information Center’s Hotline at 1-800-876-7060.
By:Shari Hearn
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