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Internet Scams: Don?t be a Victim
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Author: Mark Thompson
Topic: Scams
Viewed: 69 time(s)
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Internet Scams: Don?t be a Victim
As the number of people using the internet as an integral part
of their daily life grows then it is inevitable that the number
of Internet Scams will grow. Unfortunately there are many forms
of scam but in this article we will look at three of the most
prominent.
419 fraud or ?Nigerian Scams?
Also known as advanced fee fraud (AFF), 4-1-9 scams are named
after the section of the Nigerian penal code that deals with
fraud. Although originally originating in Nigeria these scams
can originate from anywhere. If you fall for one of these at
best you will lose thousands of Dollars at worst you will lose
your life. These usually start with an email from a bank
official or the relative of a recently deceased African
president or a government minister informing you that they have
access to millions of Dollars but need your help to get the
money out of the country. The end result is that when the deal
is threatened you will be asked for money to secure the release
of the funds. Do not under any circumstances reply to these
letters, People have been murdered while following up these
scams.
Phising
Phising scams can be very elaborate, scammers send out emails to
millions of internet addresses purporting to be from a financial
institution, and requiring you to log in and confirm your
details. The email looks authentic and contains a link that you
need to click. If you happen to have an account at the bank
featured in the scam then it?s a very natural thing to click the
link and login to ?your? account except it?s not your account or
even your bank. It will be a website setup by the scammers to
extract as much information from you as possible, Name, Address
Credit card details, Bank login, Password, PIN number etc. Once
they have these details it is very likely that will have access
to your funds and in the worse case your identity. Avoid these
scams by never clicking on a link in an email like these, Banks
do not sent out emails requesting you login and confirm your
details.
Vehicle Sales Fraud.
If you place an advert online to sell a car, boat or motorcycle
you will probably receive one of these scam attempts. You will
receive an email from abroad saying that they would like to buy
your vehicle and arrange shipping. Once you agree you will get a
check or bankers draft in the post within a few days for the
amount you asked for the vehicle PLUS the shipping fee you will
then be asked to contact the shipper and pay him the extra
amount. If you are sensible you will wait for the check to clear
then pass on the shipping fee. This is what the scammers expect,
the check will only bounce about 3 weeks to a month later at
which point your bank will take back the money leaving you short
of the shipping money. The best way of avoiding this fraud is
not to sell your vehicle to someone who wants to pay the shipper.
I hope all this hasn?t scared you away from the Internet, If you
are sensible and wary about offers that seem too good to be true
then you should be Ok, just apply the same commonsense you use
in everyday life, after all if a stranger walked up to you in
the street and said ?Hi I am from your bank what?s your credit
card number and PIN? would you give it to them??
About the author:
Mark Thompson Lives in Spain and runs a number of websites
including http://www.worldoftheweird.com and
http://www.blextech.net
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