Prevention from Online Fraud and Identity Theft

Online fraud is a type of cyber crime that uses email, web sites, chat rooms or message boards. There are many different types of online fraud, including phishing and pharming scams, which use forged e-mails and Web sites to trick recipients into giving out personal information such as credit card data, social security numbers, and passwords.

When armed with a little technical advice and common sense, you can prevent online fraud.
We recommends following these basic steps to avoid becoming a victim of online fraud:

Do's

• Consider disabling file sharing on your computer.
• Be careful about opening attachments, especially from unknown senders.
• Familiarize yourself with a Web site’s privacy policy, especially if you are asked to provide confidential and/or personal data.
• Review bank and credit card statements regularly.
  
• Install and regularly update software firewall, antivirus, and anti-spyware solutions.
• Keep your Windows operating system and all your applications updated with the latest security patches.
• Create strong passwords and protect them carefully or consider using password protection software.
• Shred bank and credit card statements and other financial data before disposal.
• Check your bank and credit card statements monthly.
• Strong passwords have eight characters or more, and use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.
• Take advantage of your right to a free annual credit report.
• If you think you’ve become a victim of ID theft or cybercrime, report it to the proper authorities immediately.
  
  

Don’ts

• Don’t provide personal data to anyone over the phone or in person (for a job or loan application, for example) unless you are certain of the other party’s trustworthiness.
• Don’t ever give out your personal information in response to an email, a web site you’ve come to through an external link, or a pop-up screen that appears on a real Web site. Open a new browser window and type the URL directly into the address bar to ensure the site is legitimate.
• Don’t keep financial data on laptops unless absolutely necessary; laptops are far more likely to be stolen than desktops.

Transact safely

The Basics: Getting Started

Transaction security describes the safety of your confidential information as it is sent across the Internet, and the need to protect it from con artists who try to steal it for their own benefit.

To protect yourself, We recommend following these basic guidelines:

• Keep your computer updated with the latest patches and updates as soon as they become available.
  
  
• Make sure your computer is configured securely, especially when it comes to configuring your Web browser and email software. Security and privacy settings can often be configured without any special expertise, simply by using the "Help" feature of your software, or visiting the vendor’s web site.
  
  
• Choose strong passwords and keep them safe. Strong passwords have eight characters or more and use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.
  
  
• Review bank and credit card statements regularly.
  
  
• Protect your computer with essential security software, including a software firewall and antivirus protection. We recommend Zone Labs Firewall and Norton Internet Security Suite .
  
  
• Exercise caution when sharing any personal information online.
  
  
• Keep in mind that online offers that look too good to be true usually are.