Re: Cut and paste snippets about scams.
Five online scams to watch out for
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's latest targeting scams report, $93 million was lost to fraud in 2012 — an increase of 9 per cent from 2011. Identity theft and cyber fraud cost the country $8.5 billion every year, with as many as one in five Australians being hit.
With consumers conducting more and more of their activities online, from banking to shopping, con artists' schemes are becoming more and more sophisticated. Emails appear to be from legitimate sources; websites and forms look just like the real thing. Forewarned is forearmed, so here's a list of five scams you should be on the lookout for.
1. Tax refund phishing scams
The Australian Taxation Office has warned consumers and small businesses to be aware of tax refund email scams, which attempt to take advantage of the busy end of financial year season.
According to SCAMwatch and the ATO, a new phishing email that may appear to be from the ATO claims that you are entitled to a tax refund — one that you can process by clicking on an embedded link and filling out a form.
However, as in other phishing scams, the form and link are fake and designed to steal your information or infect your computer with malware. The scammer can then use these details to steal your identity and money.
2. Auction and shopping scams
The popularity of internet retailers continues to grow, with the number of Australians who shop online tipping over the 50 per cent mark for the first time this year.
Auction sites are a hotbed for fraud: con artists can claim to be selling a product in order to obtain buyers' bank account or credit card details; often they will send a fraudulent or faulty item — or no item at all.
Last month, Victoria Police announced that they were searching for a man who was suspected to have used this modus operandi to victimise more than 300 people on the buying and selling website Gumtree. Earlier this month, a Queensland woman paid $1200 for two iPhones and received two pieces of fruit instead.
3. Nigerian scams
Also known as a 419 scam, the 'Nigerian Prince' is one of the internet's oldest and most infamous cons. It's now taken on many different forms, but at its most basic it's an email that appears to be a plea for help. The sender usually claims that a large sum needs to be deposited into an offshore account. Should you be willing to assist, you will be rewarded with a percentage — but to start the process, an initial "investment" must be made. The pleas can also be sent from hijacked email accounts, which makes them appear to be coming from someone you know.
The popularity — and success — of the Nigerian Prince may now seem both ludicrous and comical, but it continues to be the most commonly reported type of con. Some extreme instances have even resulted in kidnapping and murder.
4. Online dating scams
ACCC data shows that almost half of people who responded to an approach by a dating and romance scammer last year reported a financial loss — a 46 per cent conversion rate, with the average loss ringing in at a staggering $21,000.
Luring potential victims with fake profiles, scam operators try to move contact off the dating website and onto email or telephone. Once an emotional connection has been established, con artists look to profit by posing as "someone based overseas, someone whose child has had an accident and urgently needs money for a medical procedure, someone who may be stuck on an offshore operation, or even as a military operator who needs money to get a visa, to get a ticket of leave back home," according to ACCC deputy chairman Dr Michael Schaper.
Many of the scam operators are based outside Australia, making it difficult to recover lost funds.
5. Computer hacking scams
In 2012, consumers lost $1,312,794 to computer hacking scams, which accounted for just over 13 per cent of reports to the ACCC.
Last October, pop-up alerts claiming to originate from the Australian Federal Police warned people that their computers had been frozen for visiting an illegal website or breaking other laws. Users were then prompted to pay a fee to have their machine unlocked.
Another commonly reported scam involved a cold call from a fake Microsoft employee, who would inform victims that their computer had been infected with a virus that would need to be fixed immediately for a $300-$400 fee.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing
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