Internet Tips & Tricks
By MARK DAVIS
General Manager, CommSpeed Internet Service
President, Prescott Computer Society
Visit the Computer Society Website
www.prescottcomputersociety.org
 Internet Scams and Hoaxes
I
got an email today from the son of a wealthy African
farmer. His father had just been murdered. He wanted
my bank account number – to transfer $8.5 million out of
the country. For this service, I would receive a 10%
transaction fee. WOW! Lucky me? …NOT!
The
Internet has become the latest means for people to
misrepresent the truth, create fantastic offers, and
spread falsehoods. The difference between the Internet
and traditional scam methods is the speed with which
scam artists can spread the information to those they
prey upon.
The
criminals behind these scams are constantly devising new
ways to part you from your money. So, what’s the best
way to identify a scam? If it looks to good to be
true, it probably is!
The
African farmer scam is just one of thousands of
fraudulent schemes. Others include chain letters,
work-at-home schemes, health and diet schemes, credit
repair scams, and vacation prize promotions. For more
information, visit these Websites.
www.scamwatch.com
www.scambusters.org
www.techtv.com/cybercrime
www.quatloos.com
For
scam victims, the Internet Fraud Control Center provides
a way to alert authorities of a suspected criminal or
civil violation. For law enforcement agencies, IFCC
offers a repository for complaints related to Internet
fraud, and provides data on current fraud trends. www.ifccfbi.gov
Hoaxes -- One
of the most common email hoaxes involves the request to
forward an email on to as many people as possible in the
hopes of either getting money or winning a prize.
Remember - no matter how legit it may sound - whether
involving a company merger or a dying child - it could
be a hoax.
There have been some spectacular hoaxes, like the email
from Microsoft offering you $100 for every person you
forward the email to. Among the Websites that catalog
the thousands of hoaxes are:
www.truthorfiction.com
www.hoaxkill.com
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org
SAFE
SURFING!
Next Topic --
TAXMAN - "One for you 19 for me"
BACK to Tips & Tricks Index
|
