Don’t Be a Victim of Online Fraud

Arm yourself with the best tech advice from The Computer Guyz as well as some plain old common sense and you can avoid becoming the victim of online fraud.

In South Africa and all around the world, online fraud has become one of the worst forms of cybercrime. The internet is taken advantage of by criminals to steal innocent’s identities and private financial information from oblivious online browsers.

As an internet user, you need to know what to do to cover your butt. But first let’s take a look at a couple of the most common types of online fraud to watch out for:

   o   Phishing

You’ve probably heard of the popular tactic – phishing scams or emails – a type of email message created to steal private information from unsuspecting people. Make sure to be wary of emails from your bank or social networks especially if you are asked to enter your personal details. Learn more here.

   o   Pharming

This type of fraud is like a phishing attack, but without the lure. Often applied to bank websites and other trustworthy sites, a pharming scam will take you directly to the fake site, whether you have typed in the right web address.

Some other types of online fraud include:

   o   SMShing – Like phishing, but SMSs are used instead of emails

   o   Deposit Refund Scam – A trick to get you to refund money that was accidentally deposited into your account

   o   Identity Theft – Personal details stolen off the internet

   o   Pagejacking – When a part of a website is stolen and used as a fake site

Whether the online baddies are attacking you using phishing scams, malware attacks, Trojans or pharming, you need to know how to avoid being the victim. Here are some helpful tips…

ALWAYS check your bank statements. It is so easy for cybercriminals to acquire your personal details thanks to online banking, but it is also so easy for you to just check your bank statements for any suspicious activities on a regular basis.

DON’T open random attachments. Make sure to check everything carefully before you open an attachment in an email. Yes, we have filters for our emails, however it is vital that you double check with the sender to make sure the attachment is legit.

UPDATE your PC. To avoid exploitations sneaking through the cracks of your operating system and your software you need to keep everything up to date. Regular security patches make it tricky for cybercriminals to get hold of your details, but you need to make sure to install them!

CREATE a strong password. It is best that you choose a different password for every different service you use. By doing this you’ll make it difficult for criminals to get a hold of your personal details. Make sure to use a mix upper and lower case letters, special characters and numbers.

CONTACT the professionals. If you think you are currently the victim of some kind of online fraud or cybercrime, do not hesitate to contact The Computer Guyz immediately on 087 001 0511/2 or email helpdesk@thecomputerguyz.co.za

Stay safe and don't be the next victim!