The Land of the Free?
Here's a little something for the States to be proud of --- they are number one! In what, you ask? Well, it seems that nearly three-quarters of online fraud reported to the FBI last year originated from within the Great Home of the Free. It seems the bad guys aren't always those nasty-wasty foreigners, after all.
Those interpreting "free" as meaning a share of your bank account are the perpetrators. They're so good at what they do, that last year, 2005, saw cybercriminals dipping their sticky fingers into Joe Public's accounts for a whopping $183 million, almost three times more than they got in 2004. Those interpreting "free" as meaning they get something for nothing are the ones they dupe. The scams used are varied, but most of them work on the basis of a deal that's "too good to be true". What I don't understand is how so many people are incapable of realizing that when something sounds too good to be true, that's because it damn well is!
"Phishing", an online confidence scam tricks people into giving away confidential bank details, and last year's phishing saw a profit increase up 103% from 2004. E-mails are sent at random asking recipients to verify pin numbers and passwords, through replica websites. The legitimate websites always say they would never ask for such personal info, and one suggestion they make to avoid being caught in this spider web is to be suspicious when you see obvious spelling and grammar mistakes. Duh. Do people really not see those? Check out the link below to see a sample scam approach and take note of the liberal sprinkling of errors.
The average loss to the Nigerian Letter scam reported in 2005 was up 67% from 2004. The RCMP site will walk you through a sample letter and explain to you all the points that should be jumping off the page at you. The sender, for instance, is often a government official in their country who is somehow contacting you at random to tell you that a sum of millions of dollars is at stake unless you "help", and offering you a tempting commission for doing so. The proposal is always urgent and sent in strictest confidence, and the sender asks for personal information, like your bank account number.
How could anyone not see through such a scam? Could cupidity so overwhelming that it stifles common sense contribute to such successful blindsiding? Does the States' taking the gold medal in this little competition say something about them?
Those interpreting "free" as meaning a share of your bank account are the perpetrators. They're so good at what they do, that last year, 2005, saw cybercriminals dipping their sticky fingers into Joe Public's accounts for a whopping $183 million, almost three times more than they got in 2004. Those interpreting "free" as meaning they get something for nothing are the ones they dupe. The scams used are varied, but most of them work on the basis of a deal that's "too good to be true". What I don't understand is how so many people are incapable of realizing that when something sounds too good to be true, that's because it damn well is!
"Phishing", an online confidence scam tricks people into giving away confidential bank details, and last year's phishing saw a profit increase up 103% from 2004. E-mails are sent at random asking recipients to verify pin numbers and passwords, through replica websites. The legitimate websites always say they would never ask for such personal info, and one suggestion they make to avoid being caught in this spider web is to be suspicious when you see obvious spelling and grammar mistakes. Duh. Do people really not see those? Check out the link below to see a sample scam approach and take note of the liberal sprinkling of errors.
The average loss to the Nigerian Letter scam reported in 2005 was up 67% from 2004. The RCMP site will walk you through a sample letter and explain to you all the points that should be jumping off the page at you. The sender, for instance, is often a government official in their country who is somehow contacting you at random to tell you that a sum of millions of dollars is at stake unless you "help", and offering you a tempting commission for doing so. The proposal is always urgent and sent in strictest confidence, and the sender asks for personal information, like your bank account number.
How could anyone not see through such a scam? Could cupidity so overwhelming that it stifles common sense contribute to such successful blindsiding? Does the States' taking the gold medal in this little competition say something about them?
2 Comments:
You mean those letters aren't real? Darn, I have answered so many of them though! LOOOOOOOOL. Seriously, the number of people who think you can get something for nothing just amazes me. Truly it does. How can anyone still fall for that crap when you hear it on the news every single day?
How can they fall for it? Hmm, let's see ...
Get rich quick, with little or no effort. Great for the couch potato.
Falling for a simple scam such as the Nigerian emails -- stupid!
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