The FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) has seen a steady increase in complaints that involve some form of unsolicited e-mail directing consumers to a phony "Customer Service" type of website. Assistant Director Monroe said that, “the scam is contributing to a rise in identity theft, credit card fraud, and other Internet frauds.
We wanted to take a moment to educate you on the various terminologies and point out types of threats that you may receive, so you will be better equipped to recognize and prevent these unwanted scams.
Spoofing & Phishing
“Spoofing” or "phishing," frauds attempt to make internet users believe that they are receiving e-mail from a specific, trusted source, or that they are securely connected to a trusted web site, when that is not the case. Spoofing is generally used as a means to convince you to provide personal or financial information that enables the scam artists to commit credit card, bank fraud, or other forms of identity theft.Email Spoofing
In "e-mail spoofing" the e-mail appears to have originated from someone or somewhere other than the actual source. Spam distributors and criminals often use spoofing in an attempt to get email receivers to open and possibly respond to their inquiries.IP Spoofing
"IP Spoofing" is a technique used to gain unauthorized access to computers, whereby the intruder sends a message to a computer with an IP address indicating that the message is coming from a trusted source.Link Alteration
"Link alteration" involves altering the return address in a web page sent to a consumer to make it go to the hacker's site rather than the legitimate site. This is accomplished by adding the hacker's address before the actual address in any e-mail, or page that has a request going back to the original site. If an individual unsuspectingly receives a spoofed e-mail requesting them to "click here to update" their account information, and then are redirected to a site that looks exactly like their Internet Service Provider, or a commercial site like EBay or PayPal, there is an increasing chance that you will follow through in submitting your personal information. Don’t do it.Tips To Follow
Maybe you already know how to protect yourself, but it bears repeating as we all forget, get busy, or we are in a hurry and don't check things before “clicking”. Here are some tips from the FBI on how to protect yourself from internet fraud and identity theft:1) If you want to update your information online, always open a new browser window and type in the website address of the legitimate company. Never click to their website from a link within an email.
2) If a website address is unfamiliar, it's probably not safe. Only visit addresses that you have been to before, type them into a fresh browser window, or start at your normal homepage.
3) Most companies require you to log in to a secure site. Look for the lock at the bottom of your browser and make sure “https” is in front of the website address.
4) Check the domain name or website address of the website. Most legitimate sites will have a relatively short internet address that usually is the business name followed by “.com”, “.net”, or “.org”. Spoof sites are more likely to have a very long string of characters in the domain name, with the legitimate business name somewhere in there, or maybe not at all.
5) If you have any doubts or are not sure about an email or website, contact the company directly. Write down the questionable website's address and ask them if the web site address is theirs and that the email request they sent to you is legitimate.
We hope these tips help keep you and your personal information secure on the internet. If you are an existing Site Smart customer and you receive emails that are in question, you are welcome to contact us. We are happy to help scrutinize any “fishy” emails you may receive.
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