Beware of Imitations! Security, Internet Scams, and the African Real Estate Agenda

Fishing on the Internet has come a long way. However, we TechWeb junkies like to call it Phishing. What I am talking about here is not going after your ordinary, everyday catch. Yet a fine catch it indeed may be to those thieving bandits if they can lure you into giving up your personal and private information. Trickery is vast and common on the World Wide Web. Beware, I say, beware!

Email schemes, called "phishing" or "carding", attempt to trick consumers into disclosing personal and/or financial information. The emails appear to come from legitimate companies with whom consumers may regularly conduct business. I have seen scams appear to come from such noteworthy corporation as AOL, Earthlink, Paypal, eBay, or major credit card issuers. Often times the email threatens termination of accounts unless consumers update billing information.

Phishing comes around in all forms. How many of you have had some Nigerian Prince that just inherited 35 million US dollars offer to share it with you for one reason or another? How many of you have received an e-mail supposedly from your bank that for "security reasons" requests you to click a link that takes you to an online form to fill out, requesting all your personal and confidential information about your bank account?

A word to the wise: there is no Prince in Nigeria that needs your help, and your bank will never ask you for that info in an e-mail!

The latest Internet scam appears to come from the South African Department of Mining. "Resources and we are in dire need of a foreign partner to assist us in the receipt and investment of US$15,500,000.00?" All they request is a secure place to deposit the lump sum on US territory, and you will gain a large piece of the pie. WOW, what a deal!

Another I received comes from Johnson Mgabe, the son of the leader of the Republic of Zimbabwe Agricultural Commission. His father has just been assassinated, and he, the only remaining heir, is trying to escape. If you help him, he will give you lots of dough! Right on! "Please e-mail and tell me of your decision. I am ready to pay you 25% of the money [$45.5 Million] for your help, 5% shall go for expenses you might incur during the transaction. The remainder [70%] shall be mine."

Ok, ok, I am convinced; here is my private bank account, my SSN, DL# and address. Please tell me what I need to do next. Are they for real? Seriously though, if people didn't fall for these types of stunts, there wouldn't be so many floating around. Identity theft has become more and more rampant in this techno traveling world.

Again I say, beware.

Many of these email schemes contain links to "look-alike" websites that are loaded with actual trademarked images. The websites then instruct consumers to "reenter" their credit card numbers, social security numbers, bank PINs, or other personal information. If consumers actually provide the information requested, the data goes to scammers, not the legitimate company whose name is on the site. Thereafter, the data is often used to order goods or services and/or to obtain credit in the name of the consumer and potentially, steal your identity.

Again, I say, beware!

Rule for the road:

If you receive a precarious e-mail asking you for personal information, chances are it is a scam. It is better to be safe than sorry.

By Greg Richburg
Netricks, Inc.

All past articles written by Greg Richburg are available at http://www.netricks.com/news. Please address article suggestions to: info@netricks.com.

Greg Richburg is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and the owner of Netricks, Inc. a network consulting, web design and hosting company located in Fresno, CA.

Visit Netricks at http://www.netricks.com Richburg also runs KlickCommerce, anInternet based marketing system for Ujena brand clothing. See http://www.klickcommerce.com for details.

More of Richburg's work may be seen at http://www.valley411.com

---

Firewall Protection - Does Your Firewall Do This?

The first thing people think about when defending their computers... Read More

Dont Allow Hackers to Take Out Money from Your Bank Account

If you know what is the 'Fishing' then it's very... Read More

Protect Your Little Black Book

The movie Little Black Book features a young woman, Stacy,... Read More

Fishing for Fortunes. Scam!

Spelt phishing, but pronounced as above, this despicable act is... Read More

The Importance of Protecting Your PC from Viruses and Spam

Today the internet is a mine field of malicious code... Read More

Spyware Symptoms

Spyware symptoms happen when your computer gets bogged down with... Read More

6 Ways To Prevent Identity Theft

These six ways to prevent identity theft offer you valuable... Read More

Is My PC Vulnerable on the Internet?

No longer are viruses the only threat on the internet.... Read More

5 Simple Steps to Protect your Digital Downloads

A couple of days ago, I was searching for a... Read More

Securing Your Accounts With Well-Crafted Passwords

In the past I've never really paid much attention to... Read More

Is That Free Stuff Like An iPod Or Desktop Computer Really Free?

Have you seen the web site, www.freestuff.com? Or have you... Read More

Watch Out For That Scam

The IFCC (Internet Fraud Complaint Center) received over 200,000 complaint... Read More

Road Warrior At Risk: The Dangers Of Ad-Hoc Wireless Networking

Airport Menace: The Wireless Peeping Tom As a network... Read More

How to Fight Spyware

If you are wondering how to fight spyware for safe... Read More

What Can Be Done About Spyware And Adware

Having a good Spyware eliminator on your computer is vital... Read More

Spyware Protection Software

Spyware protection software is the easiest way of removing spyware... Read More

The One Critical Piece Of Free Software Thats Been Overlooked

Can You Prevent Spyware, Worms, Trojans, Viruses, ... To Work... Read More

Watching the Watchers: Detection and Removal of Spyware

If spyware were a person and he set himself up... Read More

Reporting Internet Scams

When it comes to reporting Internet scams most of us... Read More

If You Steal It, They May Come!

Business on the internet is getting down right shameless. This... Read More

8 Surefire Ways to Spot an EBAY Scam E-Mail and Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

Ebay is a great site and is used by many... Read More

Consumers: Shop Online and Get Information Safely

Do you really have to know how feeds work? Not... Read More

How To Avoid Hackers From Destroying Your Site?

Recently, my site and other internet accounts ( http://www.nabaza.com/sites.htm )... Read More

How to Know Whether an Email is a Fake or Not

A few nights ago I received an email from "2CO"... Read More

Phishing, Fraudulent, and Malicious Websites

Whether we like it or not, we are all living... Read More

All About Computer Viruses

Your computer is as slow as molasses. Your mouse freezes... Read More

Spyware, What It Is, What It Does, And How To Stop It

Spyware is software that runs on a personal computer without... Read More

Do You Know What your Kids Are Doing Online?

It's a sad statistic, but hundreds of unsuspecting kids are... Read More

Computer Security

What is computer security? Computer security is the process of... Read More

Online Shopping: 10 Tips For Safe Online Shopping

Have you ever bought a product or service from the... Read More

Passwords or Pass Phrase? Protecting your Intellectual Property

Much has been said on the theory of password protection... Read More

How to Protect Yourself from Viruses, Spyware, Adware, and Other Nuisances

Spyware/adware is a new major concern for PC users everywhere.... Read More

Its Time to Sing the Encryption Song - Again!

Yes, I'm wearing my encryption hat again. Why you may... Read More