Scams have been around since the beginning of time. As technological capabilities increase, so does the scope of access that criminals possess. The best way to protect your family and your assets is to be aware of what criminals target.
Scamming and hoaxers target all industries and people from all walks of life. The introduction of the Internet and the many applications utilised to access it have opened up new, vulnerable, avenues to trick users out of their hard earned money.
Why is it that Internet related scams are so frequent? Anyone can access the Internet, from children to our Grandparents. People from all back grounds can use the WWW, your socio-economic status, education or ethnicity make no difference to what can and can't be used. The Internet is a very busy place, things are constantly changing and upgrading; often leading to confusion of less savvy users, especially those that utilise the power of the Internet on a casual basis. Unfortunately, it is this vulnerability that criminals prey on. Scams look genuine, they appear to offer a suitable solution to an issue that you may or may not have. They present desirable offer. Scammers and hoaxers are seemingly smart people, they know how to manipulate the people they speak to in order to achieve their purpose. If something seems to good to be true, chances are that it is.
What Can You do?
What can you do if you find yourself in a suspicious situation. Remember that you are dealing with criminals who obviously don't care about you, your family or the devastating damage that they can cause. If you can, cease contact immediately. If you are too far in, ask questions.
One such example of an attempted fraud attempt of myself occurred recently. I have a business that is promoted online, with obvious contact details. I received a phone call at a busy time of the day, a woman with a very heavy accent attempted to reiterate an apparent conversation that we'd had previously. Apparently I had agreed to advertise in a Fire Fighting magazine in NSW, I had yet to decide in which regions I would prefer to have my advertisements circulated, my proofs were ready and she asked for my credit card details so she could make the initial charge of $360. I told her that I do not recall such previous conversations, she changed the subject. I asked the caller when the proofs were to be made available to me so I could authorise them prior to sending them to print, she changed subject. I told her that I don't have a credit card, she asked for my bank details. I told her that I don't have the funds and when would I see the proofs, she told me that she would speak to her supervisor. End of conversation. The other reason why I doubted the integrity of this woman? She was targeting my millinery business (think fancy ladies race hats), advertising such a service in a Fire Fighting magazine would be an unwise move in regards to product placement; I don't know any Fire Fighters that wear the kind of millinery I make. I know my business well.
A current scam attempt in our region of the Moreton Bay Shire is calls targeting people with computers, encouraging them to believe that they are vulnerable to viruses and that for a payment they can provide assisted protection for their computer systems.
The following is a quote from an anonymous contributor that outlines what may occur "...she said they had been receiving emails from my computer that indicated I had a virus...that was about all she said before she so rudely hung up on me. I couldn't completely understand what the 'company' was as it was noisy and her accent made it difficult for me to understand her, but def had microsoft, support and windows in it!"
Another contributor states "I had one of these as well, from 'the Support Team', asking if I had been experiencing slow internet and were going to tell me how to fix it. I was already suspicious but got more so when they asked me if I used a lot of social networking sites like Facebook. I just hung up." and finally "They are quite sneaky - had one who started off by reciting my home address and phone number . Then proceeded to tell me that my Windows PC had a virus, by which point I was livid cause he had my address...he sounded really smug when he kept saying " is that not your address and phone number "- he knew it was and was trying to use it to give himself credability. When I called his bluffed he started ranting in an other language and hung up."
A search of the Internet will show you many other fraud attempts; successful and otherwise. There are a number of viable, affordable, solutions available to consumers locally. Make sure you have a good virus protector on your computer. Commonly used programs include AVG.
Have You Been Scammed?If you believe that you have been scammed, two of the best sites for courses of action to follow are the two listed beneath. They're both Australian sites.
Money Smart http://www.moneysmart.gov.au/scams
Don't forget to contact the Police!
