Cyber Stalking Fraud and Abuse

-:Cyber Stalking Fraud and Abuse:-

There are many avenues for fraud on the Internet. Here, we will explore what the various
major types of fraud are, what the law says, and what you can do to protect yourself. Sometimes, Internet fraud does not rely on in-depth technological expertise. Internet fraud merely uses the computer as a venue for many of the same fraud schemes that have been perpetrated throughout history.

How The Internet Fraud Works :-

There are a variety of ways that a fraud can be perpetrated via the Internet. The Securities and
Exchange Commission lists several types of Internet fraud on their website, we will briefly discuss
each of those and others.

Investment Offers - These are nothing new. Even some legitimate stockbrokers make their living by cold calling, the process of simply calling people (perhaps from the phone book), and trying to get them to invest in a specific stock. This practice is employed by some legitimate firms, but it is also a favorite
con game for perpetrators of fraud. The Internet has allowed investment offers—both genuine and
fraudulent—to be more easily disseminated to the general public. Most readers are probably familiar
with investment offers flooding their inbox on a daily basis. Some of these email notifications entice
you to become directly involved with a particular investment plan; other emails offer seemingly
unbiased information from investors, free of charge. (Unfortunately, much of this advice is not as
unbiased as it might appear to be.) While legitimate online newsletters can help investors gather
valuable information, keep in mind that some online newsletters are fraudulent.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lists several tips for avoiding such scams:-

1. Consider the source. Especially if you are not well versed in the market, make sure you accept
advice only from well-known and reputable stock analysts.
2. Independently verify claims. Do not simply accept someone else’s word about anything.
3. Research. Read up on the company, the claims about the company, its stock history, and so
forth.
4. Beware of high-pressure tactics. Legitimate stock traders do not pressure customers into
buying. They help customers pick stocks that customers want. If you are being pressured, that is
an indication of potential problems.
5. Be skeptical. A healthy dose of skepticism can save you a lot of money. Or, as the saying goes,
“If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t.”
6. Make sure you thoroughly research any investment opportunity.

Auction Frauds - Online auctions, such as eBay, can be a wonderful way to find merchandise at very good prices. However, any auction site can be fraught with peril. Will you actually get the merchandise you ordered? Will it be “as advertised”? Most online auctions are legitimate, and most auction websites take precautions to limit fraud on their website. But problems
still occur.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lists the following four categories of
online auction fraud:-

■ Failure to send the merchandise
■ Sending something of lesser value than advertised
■ Failure to deliver in a timely manner
■ Failure to disclose all relevant information about a product or terms of the sale 

The FTC also lists three other areas of bidding fraud that are growing in popularity on the Internet.
From the FTC website:-

■ Shill bidding, when fraudulent sellers (or their “shills”) bid on the seller’s items to drive up the
price.
■ Bid shielding, when fraudulent buyers submit very high bids to discourage other bidders from
competing for the same item. The fake buyers then retract their bids so that people they know
can get the item at a lower price.

■ Bid siphoning, when con artists lure bidders off legitimate auction sites by offering to sell the
“same” item at a lower price. Their intent is to trick consumers into sending money without
proffering the item. By going off-site, buyers lose any protections the original site may provide,
such as insurance, feedback forms, or guarantees.

Identity Theft - Identity theft is a growing problem and a very troubling one. The concept is rather simple, though the process can be complex, and the consequences for the victim can be quite severe. The idea is simply for one person to take on the identity of another. This is usually attempted to make purchases; but identity theft can be done for other reasons, such as obtaining credit cards in the victim’s name, or even driving licenses. If the perpetrator obtains a credit card in someone else’s name, then he can purchase products and the victim of this fraud is left with debts she was not aware of and did not authorize.

Phishing - One of the more common ways to accomplish identity theft is via a technique called phishing, which is the process of trying to induce the target to provide you with personal information. For example the attacker might send out an email purporting to be from a bank, and telling recipients that there is a problem with their bank account. The email then directs them to click on a link to the bank website where they can login and verify their account. However, the link really goes to a fake website set up by the attacker. When the target goes to that website and enters his information, he will have just given his username and password to the attacker.

Cyber Stalking - Stalking in general has received a great deal of attention in the past few years. The primary reason is that stalking has often been a prelude to violent acts, including sexual assault and homicide. For this reason, many states have passed a variety of antistalking laws. However, stalking has expanded into cyberspace.

Protecting Yourself Against Cyber Crime :-

Now that you know about the various frauds that are prevalent on the Internet and have looked at the
relevant laws, you might be wondering what you can do to protect yourself. There are several specific steps you can take to minimize the chances of being the victim of Internet crime. There are also some clear guidelines on how you should handle the situation, should you become a victim.

:Protecting against Investment Fraud:

To protect yourself against investment fraud, follow these guidelines:
1. Only invest with well-known, reputable brokers.
2. If it sounds too good to be true, then avoid it.
3. Ask yourself why this person is informing you of this great investment deal. Why would a
complete stranger decide to share some incredible investment opportunity with you?
4. Remember that even legitimate investment involves risk, so never invest money that you cannot
afford to lose.

:Protecting against Identity Theft:

When the issue is identity theft, your steps are clear:
1. Do not provide your personal information to anyone if it is not absolutely necessary. This rule
means that when communicating on the Internet with anyone you do not personally know, do
not reveal anything about yourself; not your age, occupation, real name, nothing.
2. Destroy documents that have personal information on them. If you simply throw away bank
statements and credit card bills, then someone rummaging through your trash can get a great
deal of personal data. You can obtain a paper shredder from an office supply store or many
retail department stores for less than $20. Shred these documents before disposing of them.
This rule may not seem like it is related to computer security, but information gathered through
nontechnical means can be used in conjunction with the Internet to perpetrate identity theft.

3. Check your credit frequently. If you see any items you did not authorize, that is a clear indication that you might be a victim of identity theft.
4. If your state has online driving records, then check yours once per year. If you see driving infractions that you did not commit, this evidence is a clear sign that your identity is being used
by someone else.