The Internet and some common scams

Apr 12, 2015 News

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The Story within the Story…
By Leonard Gildarie
It is becoming even clearer now. The internet as we know it is essential, one may even say critical to our

daily dealings. Technologically, the leaps and bounds made to improve the way we communicate are astounding, to say the least.
Not only are the days of facsimiles (faxes) and telegrams gone, but even the traditional telephone companies are being threatened to come up with new services to remain profitable. It is big business, but competition is stiff, with consumers demanding the companies introduce services in keep up with the technology of new phones, tablets and computers.
New programs or “apps”, like Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger and Skype allow connected computers or devices to make free calls to each other, a big headache to phone companies.
But the internet is not only useful to keep in touch, it has attracted a haven filled with all sorts of people looking to scam the unsuspecting. There are hackers who for bragging rights or money, work to bring down websites and even target specific businesses.
A few weeks ago, our website at the newspaper was under heavy attack by hackers intent on bringing it down. It was linked to a Chinese site. An overseas security expert warned that it is easy to do the malicious deed right in Guyana and make it appear that it was carried out elsewhere. It is called spoofing. Our tech guys managed to put remedial and preventive systems in place to counter the attack.
Today, I want to dwell more on some of the more prevalent challenges that the normal man or woman face every day. I have heard too many stories of people being scammed.
I remember when my family controlled an internet café on the East Bank of Demerara. A customer came one day and said he won some money. He received a letter from London. I asked him if he had bought any ticket or entered any sweepstakes. He said no. I warned him that it was a scam. He and his wife insisted on calling the people. Months later, I saw him again. He was depressed. The people asked him to send some fees to process the transfer of his jackpot. He lost more than $200,000.
Some of the earliest forms of cybercrime were email scams. They are still very prevalent.
COMMON SCAMS
The Foreign Lottery Scam is one of the most common types of email scams. The intended target receives what looks like an official email from a foreign lottery corporation. The subject line offers a congratulatory announcement, and may include the supposed amount of money you’ve “won.”
You will know it is false if the sender is a person who is certainly not going to be the guy to tell you that you’ve won several million dollars. If your name is not in the “To” field then this phishing email has likely been sent to thousands of people, all in the hopes of snagging a few bites.
Do a simple Google search. Does the lottery even exist? You may find that not only is the lottery fake, but that it’s a well-documented scam.
Scammer emails routinely request your full name, date of birth, street address, and telephone number. This is known as a phishing scam, which is designed to get you to reveal sensitive personal information. Once you respond with this information, you’ve been hooked, and may ultimately end up with your identity being stolen or, even worse, a drained bank account if you have hooked up.
The best way to avoid the common email scam is to realize this one simple rule: If you did not enter the lottery, you will not win the lottery. And even if you do enter the lottery, you probably will not win.
The survey scam looks innocent enough. You’ve expressed interest in social issues, such as global warming or the war in the Middle East, and you’ve been sent a survey that requests your input. Why not participate? Unless you’ve specifically requested to be on a survey mailing list, what you’re getting is nothing but spam.
When you click on the link to take the survey, malicious spyware or malware is installed on your computer. Once this occurs, cybercriminals can spy on every move you make on your computer, collecting passwords, bank account information, and more.
Still another irritating scam is the online credit card/banking scam.
At first, you may really believe there’s something wrong with your PayPal account, as you will receive an email that appears to be from PayPal with a warning message such as, “Act now, or your account will be deactivated,” or “Security breach on your account.” This can cause you to panic, open the email, click the link, and log in to your account.
The problem is that you’re not really on PayPal’s website, but rather a false website designed to look identical to PayPal.
The secret shopper (or mystery shopper) scam has several different variations, but all are designed to steal your money, your information, or both. This common work-from-home scam attempts to suck you in with an email featuring a subject line promising you a large income, simply by working as a mystery shopper. You need no experience or education, and you can make hundreds of dollars a day doing just what you love: shopping! Sounds too good to be true, right?
It is indeed. Instead of being paid to shop, here are the two ways in which you can be swindled:
The money looks good, but in order to get your “training materials,” you must send the company money via PayPal or with a personal cheque. You send the money and wait for a package that never arrives.
You receive a fraudulent cheque. This one is even worse. You provide the false company your address, and are sent a fraudulent cheque in the mail as your first payment. However, you are requested to send some of the money back to cover your study materials. You cash the cheque, wire the requested amount of money, and then discover that the cheque you deposited has bounced. You’re responsible for thousands in fraudulent cheque charges, plus overdraft fees.
If you didn’t apply for a job, you won’t be offered a job. They don’t just fall out of the sky. Furthermore, if you’re ever asked to spend money upfront for materials, you are likely being scammed.
Another one of the more common email scams is the Nigerian check scam. If you are subject to this scam, you receive an email from a royal-sounding person with the name of “Sir Arthur Von-Monsoon,” or “Barrister Frank N. Stein” with a request to help recover large sums of money from an overseas bank. As a reward, you’ll receive a handsome cut of the cash. Nice, huh?
Unfortunately, there’s always a catch. It seems like a win-win situation, so you respond with your willingness to help. You are told the money will be transferred to your bank account; therefore, you must provide your bank account information. Also, there are transfer fees involved, and you have to pay those as well. Once you pay a couple hundred dollars, waiting for your huge windfall, you receive another email stating there has been some type of holdup, and you must send a bit more cash.
This continues until you, the unsuspecting victim, realize that money is only going one way: out of your bank account.
Thanks to social networking sites, you can connect with friends, relatives, and even celebrities all over the world. The problem? You can also connect with a wide variety of cybercriminals who specialize in online hoaxes.
HIJACKED
Then there are instances where persons’ accounts like on Facebook have been hijacked and they ask for assistance as they are stuck somewhere in Timbuktu. Perhaps the most irritating one would be the suspicious photo scam. This is one of the most common ways online con artists obtain login information to hijack an account. One of your friends, whose account has been hacked, posts a link on your page with a message such as, “OMG! Is this a naked picture of you?”
This causes you to panic and you click the link, only to find yourself back at the Facebook login page. You figure it’s just one of Facebook’s many glitches and login again.
By doing this, you’ve just disclosed your Facebook (or Twitter) account login information. Now, some cybercriminal is out there using your profile to attempt to scam your friends.
Then there is one called the sick baby scam. This one is sick alright. The sick baby scam works like this: A “friend” posts a photograph of an ill baby or young child with a caption beneath it that reads, “Little Jimmy has cancer. Click this link to donate $1 to help him and his family. Every little bit counts!”
Your heart goes out to this helpless little baby, and you click on the link, whip out your bank card, and donate some money. What you don’t realize is that the money isn’t going to help some dying child – it’s going straight to the bank account of a con artist.
Also, remember that shares don’t equal donations. Often, instead of sending money to help the “sick baby,” you’re asked to share the photo with everyone you know because each share supposedly earns a small amount of money. However, Facebook, nor any social networking website, will donate money based on how many times something is shared. This is almost always an attempt to phish for personal information.
Bottomline, do your research, don’t send money to anyone you don’t know and don’t click on anything suspicious.
Enjoy the weekend, be safe on the roads. School starts again tomorrow.
Please do continue to send your emails to [email protected] or call weekdays on 225-8491.

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