Cyber Crime Swepes the UK, Figures are up!
by Kadeem MekkiPC support
Millions of people across the UK fear for their online safety because of cyber crime sweeping the nation.
A survey carried out by IT support company The PC Support Group has revealed that 76 per cent of people are worried about internet security. It also found that 30 per cent of internet users have been a victim of cyber crime – with figures set to rise.
The company was recently called to help a customer who had £6,000 taken from their bank account by a cyber criminal who used a spam email to ask for their internet connection details. From this they were able to view the customer’s emails and as a result transfer thousands out of their account.
Simon Albert, Operations Director, said: “Spam mail is now so cleverly worded and so targeted that anyone can be taken in. Gone are the days of the obvious spam email. Even if a small percentage of people respond to them, the criminals make a killing. The so-called credit crunch could well lead to a rise in cyber crime as people find themselves under financial pressures."
The shock new survey follows on from figures released in 2008 which found there were 255,800 cases of financial fraud – up 24 per cent from the previous year. Around 830,000 businesses in the UK suffered a computer related security incident in 2007/08.
But there are ways to avoid becoming a victim. Here are Simon’s tips about what to look out for to take care on the internet.
eBay
Scam e-mails claiming to be from eBay users often state that there is a problem with a payment and that you should click on the link to confirm the information. The e-mails are fully branded and appear to come from eBay.com. It asks for payment information such as PayPal and bank account details.
Never assume the e-mail is related to a recent transaction, check the details rigorously. Never click on a link within the email, instead, go into your account manually as normal and see if there are any messages in there for you. Remember that eBay or PayPal would never ask for user login information or other private details over the web.
Banks
Another common e-mail which lands in people’s inbox is from what looks like their bank saying there is a problem with their account. It appears to come from its domain, for example www.lloydstsb.co.uk, is fully branded with their logo and head office address and asks you to click on the link.
You need to look at whether the link inside the e-mail actually takes you to the main web site. The scam link will be a totally different site with the bank’s name often embedded somewhere within it such as http://www.online-lloysdtsb.co.uk/login.
Be aware that anyone can create a site provided the domain name isn’t already taken.
The easiest way to spot this type of scam is to consider this; banks never ask you to reveal any personal or bank details over the web. Never! If you’re in any doubt, check the old fashion way...pick up the phone!
Businesses Beware
Many companies now operate advertising campaigns with Google. We do at The PC Support Group and recently a Spam e-mail warned that our account would be deleted unless we clicked on a link within the e-mail which again was fully branded and appeared to come from Google and wasn’t initially requesting financial information.
The key to the success of this new breed of scam e-mail is that they appear so relevant to you that we assume they are genuine. Fortunately in this case I realised that my account wasn’t due to expire and I noticed the link didn’t go to www.google.com so I deleted it immediately.
Simon added: “For example if you receive an e-mail asking you to clarify your bank details in relation to some car financing when you have just taken out some car financing you would probably go ahead and submit those details. Remember that if the fraudsters send 10,000 e-mails and only five people happen to fit the profile, and they respond, then that could give them access to tens of thousands of pounds...or more!
“These scams will continue to get more sophisticated and more targeted. Check all e-mails thoroughly and never enter any personal details on the web unless you know you have typed in the genuine web address of the company, and even then be cautious. If you receive any e-mails asking for personal information then contact the organisation by phone and go to their official website; not via the e-mail link. Anyone can be fooled but by being more careful you can avoid becoming a cyber crime victim."
Article submitted Thursday, May 28, 2009 & read 7 times.
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