How to Avoid Online Fraud
Even though it is usually safe and convenient to handle your personal and financial transactions on the Internet, you should still be continually aware of anyone who is attempting to defraud you of your money or steal your identity. Protecting your credit card information and personal information should always be of utmost importance.
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Instructions
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Get into the practice of carefully weeding out your email on a daily basis. Do not open any email that is not specifically addressed to you, has a strange subject line or appears fraudulent. If you open an email from a known company, do not fill out any financial information. Go to that company's website and call or send an email to find out if the email you received is valid. Do not fall for any of the emails that say, "The IRS has your Refund" or "Your Files Need to be Updated." If you receive an offer for an online newsletter that promises "great stock returns," talk with your financial adviser or attorney first before signing anything.
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Deal only with known companies for retail or mail order when you are ordering online. You definitely want a website that has a telephone number and address as a contact. Every site should have a privacy policy, which explains what information the company keeps on you and how it will protect your credit card information. If you have questions, call the customer service number first. If you need to sign up with a user name and password, do not use your birthday or anniversary date. Mix numbers and letters. Keep a notebook nearby where you list the different websites and the user name and passwords. Make a copy of the transaction page after making a purchase.
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Avoid any "work at home" or "job success" emails or websites that ask for a fee upfront. These are scams. Do not provide your social security number or any other personal information to any employer until you know that it is a reputable company. You should receive a contract and IRS tax forms from the business once you have agreed to do the work. You will have an address and phone number of the company, so you can check with the Better Business Bureau or that state's consumer protection department to ensure reliability. Once you have begun to receive payments and feel comfortable about the organization, you can sign up for direct deposit of payment into your banking account.
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Check once a year with all three credit reporting agencies, which is free of charge, to make sure of your credit status and that no one has used your credit illegally. Also read through each credit card statement you receive to make sure you understand all payments. Sometimes you will sign up for a "free month" of a service. If you do not cancel, you will be charged thereafter. Close any bank accounts or credit cards that have fraudulent payments. Let your bank or credit card company know at once.
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Tips & Warnings
Be careful of any charity asking for a contribution. Check this organization out, just as you would any company.
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Comments
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Considering that non-payment/delivery of goods sold or bought—whether from online auctions or not—is the most common cybercrime as reported to the IC3 in 2010, and by all accounts occurs about 25,000 times each month, it is not surprising then that you can easily be scammed. However, you can protect yourself. A very good friend of mine was seriously scammed late last year and has since done extensive research into how you defend yourself against scammers and fraudsters. She reports that she found the solution. These days she INSISTS on using a legitimate online escrow service for transactions of value. It's amazing, she tells me, how fast the scammers scramble for the hills when you refuse to listen to reasons why you shouldn't use this service (bona fide) but instead use another (fraudulent). It's like a litmus test, she says, it really exposes the scammers. Her new motto is: When in doubt--escrow. She swears by it. But, how do you tell the legitimate escrow site from the fraudulent? First of all, the legitimate site is always secure, and therefore will display “https” (for secure http) on your browser’s URL line. If the site does not, abandon it. Also, the legitimate site will post a physical address and a working phone number, allowing you to talk directly to the staff. The legitimate site will always display their licenses and accreditations, which you can then verify with the applicable state(s), and they can and will, on request, give you names and contacts of satisfied customers, whom you can then call to verify legitimacy.
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sdhgshggbasb
Mar 27, 2010
I object to the use of IRS in this article, it must be internationally relevant, Anericans are not the only ones who use the internet you know. -
DiscountTickets
Mar 27, 2010
Very important information, we all need to know about this, thanks for sharing.
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Melia Indra
Mar 27, 2010
Thanks for the advice! Love the photo.
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Savvyone
Mar 27, 2010
Very good post, but you should receive alerts each time a purchase is made on an account to avoid any surprises.
