Computer ScamsIt seems like almost every day another new scam of some sort is released. Most people know not to fall for these, but several thousand people every month fall prey to these scams—losing either incredibly large sums of money or suffering Identity Theft. We hope this Blackdog Bone will help you avoid trouble.
Money Scams
Virtually none of these hoaxes arise in the U.S. They are usually from some foreign country that collects the information and sells it—or in this case takes your money. The first money scam started many years ago in Nigeria, which is still sending out these fake e-mails. “Our Crown Prince has managed to escape his captors and needs to leave the country immediately. In order to safeguard his money, he would like your permission to transfer it to your bank account for safekeeping. All we need is for you to send us $2,000 to take care of the necessary funds…and the transfer will be arranged. We will return your money plus a large bonus for your assistance as soon as the Crown Prince is safely out of Nigeria.”
All the Nigerian e-mails are of the same type, and they are written so badly that people must actually believe them. Nigeria is a very well-educated country; I know many Nigerians, and none of them speak anything but perfect English. That should be a clue right there. If you receive any e-mails like this, just delete them immediately.
Lottery Scams
This one is newer, usually from Great Britain, supposedly, and says you have won a rather substantial amount of money. It then directs you to a web site to provide the information you need to collect your winnings. It’s rather well written, but there are some very subtle clues that it’s a total fake.
Warning: If you receive ANY e-mail from someone you do not know that redirects you to a Web site asking for further information, DELETE IT…but not until you report it to both your ISP and to the FBI and/or the company it supposedly represents (see below).
Phishing
This is THE most insidious computer scam on Earth. You receive an e-mail (I got two this week) from a company with which you may or may not do business. Some companies “involved” include eBay, PayPal, SunTrust Bank, CitiGroup and amazon.com. They’re all written about the same: “We need to confirm that all your account information is accurate and up to date. Please click on the link below and complete the form to provide us with current information.” That link takes you to a web site that LOOKS official, but is a complete fake. And the “current information” you provide immediately is sent to a criminal gang, usually operating in Southeast Asia, China or Russia. And bingo!! It can take you up to two years to recover your credit reputation…because they have enough information to apply for credit and all sorts of other documentation that will financially destroy you. PLEASE: Do not fall for this!
Besides all of the above warnings, there are some other simple solutions: (1) The use of Outlook or Outlook Express has some inherent security dangers. A separate e-mail package provides a bit more security. I use Eudora. Another very good one is Mozilla. They are free and can be downloaded from the Internet. (2) If you get e-mail from someone you don’t know, do NOT open any attachments. It’s a safe bet to just delete the e-mail. (3) If you get e-mails that say, “If you wish to be removed from this list, click here,” DON’T! That more often than not just confirms this is a legitimate e-mail address and you will get more spam.
There are many more topics I could talk about, but there’s only so much room. Please feel completely free to e-mail me at the address on the home page. I set that up simply for security questions, and I strongly urge you to inquire about any topic. I cannot guarantee your safety and security, but I sure will do my best. In another chapter, we will discuss computer security.
