Nigerian 419 Still Going Strong

Posted by on Apr 15, 2010 | 0 comments

With the birth of the internet has also come the birth of the internet scam. There are as many different internet scams as there are internet users, and many of them seem very convincing.

One of the most ubiquitous, and oldest, of internet scams is the Nigerian Get Rich Quick scam.

The Nigerian Get Rich Quick scam takes many forms, but is most often done under the guise of having a Nigerian relative or official who has passed away and has left inheritance. The scammer sends an e-mail (generally poorly worded and in broken English) that names the person who has just died and that he or she is the executor of the estate. The executor of the estate requests that you send an e-mail in reply acknowledging receipt of the e-mail. Once the e-mail is replied to, a second e-mail is sent out requesting personal information from the recipient of the inheritance.

Nigerian 419 Scam - Not A Way to Get RichUsually the e-mail requests such things as name, date of birth, address, contact phone number, etc. Up until this point, the scam seems fairly legitimate, except, perhaps, that the recipient is not aware that he or she has a Nigerian relative.

The e-mail following the second e-mail is generally the one that tips off even Internet newcomers that there is a scam. The e-mail requests that the beneficiary send money to Nigeria for the will to be completely processed. Often, the e-mail stipulates that the estate is frozen until money is repaid to debtors. Usually the executor requests that the money be sent via Western Union money transfer, though he may also accept a money order, usually, cheques are not accepted.

Once the supposed beneficiary sends out the money, they are promised they money in a cheque sent to the address provided. Sometimes, a fraudulent cheque is sent, and other times there is no cheque at all. If the ‘beneficiary’ tries to send a subsequent e-mail asking where their money is, more often than not, the e-mail address will have been inactivated, and they will realize that they have been scammed.

This summary is only an example of one form of the Nigerian Get Rich Quick scam. Sometimes, it takes the form of having won the Nigerian Lottery, another version of the scam occurs on dating websites. Sometimes, on dating websites, Nigerians will request money to relocate to the United States, or to maintain an internet connection. There is often a promise to pay you back with money from an inheritance, or lottery winnings etc.

With the advent of better spam filters that come with modern security packages, these scam e-mails will now often not ever reach your inbox. However, spam filters will not always filer every e-mail and there are some rules of thumb to avoid getting scammed.

First, unsolicited e-mails are always suspicious, especially ones written in very broken English.

Second, paying money to get money is almost always indicative of a scam.

Thirdly, always deal locally; avoid sending money, or dealing with people who are from overseas, or ever people from different states. Laws vary from country to country, state to state, and even city to city, the closer you stay to your home, the less likely you are to get scammed. And if you do get scammed, you have more recourse with local scams that foreign ones.

So, with a little forethought, you can avoid getting scammed, and make your money only fall into the right hands.

BTW if anybody wants to enjoy seeing the scammers being scammed then go take a look at 419Eater.

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The Need To Protect Your Identity Online

Posted by on Sep 22, 2009 | 1 comment

Who you are has become a precious commodity to identity thieves. For this reason, many people now shred credit card statements, order items by cheque again, and pay with cash instead of debit card.

However, they often forget that the same hackers who stole personal information from corporate and government databases do not have to go so far to gather all the information of your personal identity online.

Why is it important to protect your identity online?

  1. If someone has your account information, researching your personal information can result in finding the answers to your personal questions. Finding your birth certificate can result in knowing the mother’s maiden name, or it could be as simple as asking that information of you at a genealogy chat room. Reading about your favorite sports teams could lead them to your most likely password. Reading your blog could lead them to know where you consider home to be, another common security question. Thus a little online sleuthing can yield the answers to the security questions that were meant to protect your accounts, and it is information we have often already made available if you do not take steps to protect your identity online.
     
  2. Your online identity can provide the information necessary to perform identity theft in the real, financial world. Without your current account information but armed with your real information, they may learn enough from your online identity enough to pretend to be you in the real world. Your name, address, and phone number are easily looked up. A social networking site can provide your employer and perhaps even income verification. Information on where you shop, your opinions of credit cards, your online portfolio analysis – all of this information attached to your online identity can give a would-be thief enough information to fill out the necessary forms to get a solid Gold credit card with your name on it.
     
  3. If you do not protect your identity online, it is easy for someone to gather all of your personal information and then pretend to be you. A former business partner who wants to discredit you through professional forums, an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend who wants to destroy your life online, all of the information to do can be gleaned unless you have already protected your personal identity online.
     
  4. Spear phishing is targeted phishing with the goal of either hacking someone’s computer or eliciting information out of them. This may be done by foreign corporations wanting technical information from a rival firm. It may be done by foreign nationals targeting those with security clearance in the United States. If you have not protected your identity online, you have given these predators the ability to approach you wrapped in a protective cloak. Potentially worse is that you have an insecure online identity, and the phishing attacks of these entities can be done from your online identity, leading law enforcement and searchers to your doorstep
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  5. Many companies now do social networking searches of potential employees. If your online identity is either less than perfect or easily made falsely slanderous, you will lose out on employment and consulting opportunities.

Thankfully there are ways to protect your identity online, and the use of anonymous browsing software is the first step we all should take.

 

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What’s Left of Your Privacy?

Posted by on Sep 17, 2009 | 0 comments

Should you have any doubts about the seriousness of how your privacy has been eroded, Google yourself.
 
Google your own name, then glance to the right. One of the sponsored advertising links is likely to offer quick online investigation services. For a nominal fee you can order up a dossier on yourself, with information culled from lending records, motor vehicle records, tax records, and court records. You might even get a photograph. It’s a little galling, perhaps, to see how easy it’s become to assemble the bare facts of your life, but no particular shock. These always were public records, after all. It’s just a question of increased access and speed.
 
What’s more discomfiting is the electronic penetration into records that were supposed to be confidential — your lifelong purchasing habits, for instance, or the results of personality tests for jobs, your school records, your voting history, credit report, resume, financial history, and the details of your adventures online (if any).
 
One compromised database behind the scenes interfaces with another; those two triangulate with two dozen more; soon they’ve wired together this document here, on the screen, a full constellation of the facts of your life.
 
This doesn’t even mention any of the more qualitative data about your odd tastes and your private desires that you may have shared on Twitter, on Facebook, on emails (which have always been non-secure), on your blog, to go on and on.
 
Extremely personal? Yes.
 
True? Most of it, yes.
 
Never mind any embarrassment, is this dangerous to you? Undeniably yes!
 
It’s not that the stakes are low. Ask anyone who’s had the ugly, expensive experience of having his identity stolen. This is old news, really. Reports of millions of compromised credit card numbers is so routine it’s hardly worth mentioning anymore, while the companies involved mumble weak apologies and promise to try to do better.
 
There’s recent news that the site Wikileaks, which traffics in making leaked documents available online to anyone, somehow got hold of almost two million postal codes in the U.K. and are publishing the lot. Not a direct privacy threat, but certainly it’s another mass of detailed data that will be used to support and extend the view of those who are interested in you.
 
What’s left to us? It’s important that we get past the old privacy questions, overtaken by events ten years ago, and deal with any residual indignation. It’s too late for that. Better to try to think through what comes next. It might have to do with correcting this data — some of it will be comically wrong — and minimize the damage it can do you. It might be identifying and cultivating the parts of your life that are free from observation, as a sort of psychological stronghold of identity.
 
Or it might be the opposite: learning to live with utter transparency, extending an open invitation to anyone who wants to look through.
 
What is true though if the information you find on this site will help minimize the possible damage caused through loss of privacy online.

 

 

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Offline or Online We All Need Freedom of Speech

Posted by on Sep 15, 2009 | 0 comments

Freedom of Speech For AllThe American founding fathers put forth the principle of freedom of speech to protect the right of all Americans to freely speak their mind.

In past decades, this concept has been challenged on many levels, but the majority of attacks on freedom of speech have been struck down. We live in a society that heralds this right as a major part of being American. And in fact, this fundamental right is why many other nations around the world look to the United States for guidance in such areas.

The US is respected and revered for its principles in this area, and it is the foundation on which a truly democratic society is built.

Although the right of freedom of speech was developed in large part to protect the freedom of the press, with the advent of electronic media and the personal use of computers worldwide, it is now necessary to extend the concept of freedom of speech to these platforms. If a person’s right to gather peacefully, worship independently, and maintain their own opinion applies to all other aspects of life, shouldn’t it be that way online as well?

In reality, the Internet is simply an extension of our social, commercial, and financial medias, and should be awarded the same protections as they enjoy. Although there are those that argue that the Internet allows for an unprecedented level of information dissemination, there is absolutely no reason that this data should be any more scrutinized than what goes on in daily papers, television shows, or on the radio.

This is not to say that there should be no regulation; the Internet simply merits the same level of examination that all other media outlets require.

Having freedom of speech on the Internet is just an extension of having freedom of speech in all other areas of society. Of course, this is not something that should be taken for granted. As with all other forms of media or expression, there are those that abuse this right, and they should always be dealt with accordingly.

On the Internet, the same standards of decency, honesty, and intent should be upheld as is dictated by the law; however, this is where the government’s involvement should end. As is often argued, it should be up to individuals, parents, educators, and scholars to dictate what is or is not appropriate for themselves, not legislators.

There are those that argue that it is unlawful or immoral to allow online visitors to have access to material that some might find offensive. However, just as a consumer can choose whether or not to view a Rated R movie, listen to music with a warning label, or view legal pornography, so too can an individual decide whether or not he will navigate to a certain webpage on the Internet.

In short, freedom of speech is linked to freedom of choice. The majority of Americans would champion both of these rights. Regulating speech on the Internet would be a slippery slope leading to the demise of freedom of speech overall.

Because computers rule so many daily lives, the government’s involvement in legislating its content would undoubtedly open the door to the demise of that very freedom in many other areas of society that the courts have so diligently tried to protect.

Throughout history, the newspaper business, the television and movie industry, and musicians have had to fight for their right to speak their mind. In most cases, they have won. This pattern should be upheld, and freedom of speech on the Internet is the most logical stepping stone in a path to a continued free society.

We are not all lucky enough to live in a country where these freedoms are granted to all, and those of you at risk from persecution would do well to protect your online identity as best possible.

 

 

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Social Networking Dangers and Rules

Posted by on Sep 10, 2009 | 3 comments

Web Security is all about educating yourself about online hazards. Education is the answer to computer security and protecting youngsters on the web. All parents need to educate themselves about Internet security, cyberbullying, and social networking dangers. These all represent threats which did not exist just a few years ago, certainly your old Dr Spock books are going to be no use here!

Social networking is growing at an amazing rate, with children of all ages and online predators and cyberbullies using these sites more and more. Parents should understand the guidelines for protecting children each site has, and if you do not believe the rules are strong enough don’t let your child join the site. There are some basic ground rules for social networking sites including MySpace, Facebook, etc for kid safety.

  • First, don’t let your child to use their real name, make a new nickname just for the online world.
  • Second , make sure your child understands not to post your home address, home telephone number, or cell phone number.
  • Third, make a time-frame for when you child can be online .
  • Fourth, all photographs should be reviewed before being posted online .

You should understand that everything your child does on the internet is recorded there forever, once something is uploaded there is generally no delete button. As soon as a site is indexed by a search engine copies are made, so even if you delete the original you will still find thousands of copies all around the net.

Parents should know the way to work the social networking sites which includes making comments on pages, the wall, email, and posting photographs. If possible you should create an account on the social networking site to join in with your children. You can insist to your child that they will not have an account unless they make you a friend so that you can observe their wall, evaluate their friend list and assess the photos getting posted on the web. This simple act will help you forestall online predators from contacting your youngster. I understand most chiildren are not going to like this, but being upfront about everything is far better than being sneaky and being found out.

Cyberbullies bring into play a selection of technology to make threats, trouble, or make the Internet uncomfortable for children. Victims are often kids and the cyberbully generally goes to the same school as your child . Cyberbullies send e-mails, IM or messages to the victim’s cell or computer. This is starting to become even more popular on social networking sites. Parents need to chat to their kids to see if this is happening to them.

Web safety for children is all about parents being educated about web security. Parents need to take a pro-active role in educating themselves about how social networking site work and what is cyberbullying. The more you educate yourself about the internet and talk to your kids the safer they are going to be.

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