So, now that you are an established adult, with things and maybe others to protect, you
have also become the target of thieves who would really like to clean you out. Whatever you have, they want it.
In this new, computerized 21st century world, they have found all sorts of
new ways for separating you from what you have. They can remotely take over poorly protected home and small business computers
and lift your pin numbers, your passwords and your life savings.
They also like to send emails that ask you to do things like go to a special counterfeit
web site that looks legitimate and asks you for personal information, for verification purposes (or something like that).
There are lots of variations of this sort of thing and you need to be aware of what’s
going on here. You need to protect yourself.
The bogus web site approach is an example of what is called, "phishing" (pronounced "fishing").
It is called this because the identity thieves use such sites and the emails they send to "fish" for critical personal information.
This has become a gigantic national and international problem that retailers, banks, credit
card companies and others estimate as an annual loss in excess of 2 billion dollars just here in America alone!
It’s serious business with over 37,000 new bogus "phishing" web sites found just
recently. What makes apprehension difficult is the fact that a large number who practice this form of theft operate outside
the borders of the United States.
So, what can you do about it? You can start by taking the following precautions:
1 - Be aware that financial institutions and legitimate retailers
don’t send emails that ask for personal information, directly or at "linked" web sites.
2 - Legitimate and fully secure web site addresses that require
personal information usually begin with "HTTPS," not "HTTP."
3 - Install a comprehensive security system on your computer,
such as that which is offered on this web site by the "American Communication Arts" organization.
4 - Be aware that you are not alone out there. One or more
of the following web sites could be of help to you:
Internet Crime Complaint Center
http://www.ic3.gov
Federal Consumer Information Center
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/scamsdesc.htm
National Fraud Information Center
http://www.fraud.org/welcome.htm
Federal Trade Commission
http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
Fraud Bureau
http://www.fraudbureau.com
Remember, you can protect yourself but you must be willing to take action.
