How to Protect Yourself from Online Scams

In years past, one of the biggest concerns that people had with their finances was falling victim to confidence men. These "con men" tried to pose stories to people in hopes that they would turn over money to them. The con men would perpetrate these scams over unsuspecting victims and take their money leaving them with nothing in return. Con men have been around for hundreds of years and are still conning unsuspecting people out of their hard-earned money. However, today the majority of these cons are attempted online.

Online fraud is one of the most common frauds of this era with billions of dollars being fraudulently diverted on an annual basis. While the 1800's had land and livestock fraud, the 1900's had stock and oil well fraud, the con men of today rely on the Internet as a means to contact potential victims and using online activity to cover their true identities. The typical cons of today can involve selling large items online, emails pretending to be from reputable companies seeking personal financial information and scams involving alleged funds belonging to people in another country.

While the con man still exists in today's society, the way they conduct their illegal activity has changed. What hasn't changed is that people need to protect themselves from potential online fraud. The following resources will provide you with a variety of information on some of today's common online cons. While it is not a complete list, it will provide you with an overview of some of the perils and pitfalls we face today. In addition, it will provide measures to prevent being a victim and what to do in the event you fall prey to one of these online con men.

We hope this information will be helpful for you and your family, to not become an online fraud victim:

Identity Theft

• Identity Theft Information - informative resource from the Justice Department dealing with the dangers of Identity Theft.
• Social Security and Identity Theft - information on how your Social Security Number could be fraudulently used by thieves using someones identity.
• Identity Theft Data - government site serving as a portal of information for Identity Theft.
• Identity Theft Overview - helpful resource containing information on what is Identity Theft and how to prevent being a victim.
• Identity Theft Information - useful information from the FDIC on what to watch for about your identity.
• Identity Theft - informative resource providing information and tips on prevention of Identity Theft crimes.

Phishing

• Phishing Scam Prevention - site providing helpful tips to avoid being a victim of phishing scams.
• Reporting Phishing - government information on what to do if you spot a site that you suspect to be a phishing site.
• Phishing Information - overview from the Credit Union's about the dangers of phishing for personal information.
• Phishing Fraud - helpful site giving people information and tips on how to avoid being a victim of a phishing fraud.
• Phishing Examples - informative site providing people with examples of what phishing email contain so that they can avoid being a victim of them.

Pharming

• Pharming Information - description and basic information on pharming and other online fraud.
• Pharming Defined - information and a definition of pharming.
• Pharming Scams - useful information on various types of pharming scams that are in use.
• Pharming and Phishing - informative resource describing the differences between the two online scams.

Online Fraud Schemes

• Common Fraud Schemes - helpful resource from the FBI providing information on common internet fraud schemes.
• Internet Retail Scams - information on various Internet criminal activity that has occurred.
• Fraud Schemes and Scams - basic information on some typical online fraud scams and schemes.

Online Fraud and Scam Prevention Ideas

• Prevention Tips - information on how to avoid being a victim of online fraud scams.
• Fraud Information - overview of online fraud activities and how to prevent becoming a victim.
• Fraud Prevention Tips - helpful tips and advice on how to not be a victim of online fraud.
• Fraud Prevention - not for profit organization providing help and suggestions on how to be safe online.
• Fraud Prevention Tips - informative collection of information and suggestions on how to be safe while online.
• Online Fraud Prevention Guide - useful publication providing information and suggestions on being safe online.

Reporting Online Scams

• Scam Reporting - helpful site providing suggestions and advice when you are a victim of an online scam or fraud.
• Internet Fraud Information - informative overview of Internet fraud and how you can report the fraud if you think you are a victim.
• Reporting Cybercrime - site providing a way for people to report being a victim of online crime.
• Online Fraud Reporting - online fraud reporting form from the FTC.

Online Fraud Resources

• Fraud Victim Resources - helpful collection of resources for victims of online fraud.
• Types of Online Fraud Resources - useful information and resources outlining the various types of online fraud.
• Fraud Avoidance Resources - resources covering fraud avoidance and various other topics.
• Fraud Resources - informative collection of resources for online fraud prevention.

Online fraud is one of the fastest growing types of crime in our day. The best way to stop online fraud is through preventing fraud. We hope that this information has been helpful and will assist you in keeping safe from online fraud.