Internet Scams on the Rise – How to Avoid Becoming a Victim

With the constant growth and evolution of the Internet, the opportunity for scams increases daily. People bank online, purchase products online and even send money online. All of those transactions are normally safe and no more of a risk than handing your credit card to someone at a restaurant or storefront.

If someone were to show up at your door and ask you for your credit card information or for the key to your bank security deposit box, you most likely would not give it to him or her, even if they said they were from the bank. Wouldn’t it seem a little fishy that the bank was asking YOU for information they already have?

This is the blueprint for the latest trend in Internet scams. You will receive an email from your bank, EBay or PayPal (EBay and PayPal are the most popular shopping and payment sites on the Internet) asking you to verify the information they already have for you. Or the email may say that they think someone is trying to fraudulently access your account, therefore it is about to be suspended and they need you to verify some information to avoid further suspension.

Now for the scam part: None of those emails are actually coming from your bank, EBay or PayPal! They may have all the right logos and colors and appear to be from the real company. When you click on the link included in those emails, they will take you to a site that even LOOKS like the site you are trying to reach, but when you enter your personal information, well, now the bad guys have it. It’s that easy.

Avoiding the most popular scams is extremely simple and all of the sites I mentioned above try to educate you as to what their practices are. Here are a few tips to help you avoid becoming a victim of these scams:

If any site on the web legitimately needs you to give them information they already have on file, the email will come specifically addressed to you, not to “Dear member” or “Dear customer.” If your name is John Smith and your username for that site is johnsmith1, then a legitimate email asking you to log in to their site would clearly show some of the information that they have, such as your username or other data, all of which usually means it is the real deal. However, if you are truly worried about the risk involved in divulging the information these companies ask you for, you could pick up the phone and call them to verify that the request is genuine.

Ron Farber is a leader in the information technology and web industries and is the founder of two successful companies, Fivestar I.T., Inc. and Fivestar Business Solutions in Beverly Hills, California.