Safe shopping online - avoiding spoofs, phishing and other tricks
If you have been using the internet regularly, chances are you would have received spoof, phishing or other fraudulent emails. These are emails aimed at getting you to reveal your private details (eg bank passwords), to send money for products that don't exist, to get you to download malicious software, etc.
The classic form of a spoof or phishing is an email which looks like it is from a bank and which tells you that your bank account details need to be upgraded. There is a link in the email that, if clicked, takes you to a website that looks like the bank's webpage and which asks you to "verify" your details. If you do so - the fraudster has your bank details.
There are more sophisticated and targetted spoofs, but the essential purpose is always to get you to disclose private information (usually financial).
There are also scams such as offers of free/discount goods aimed to get you to enter financial details on a website, links to websites that try to install spyware or other malicious code on your computer and the like.
There are a few essential rules to avoid falling victim to such fraud:
- Never click on a link in an email to go to a banking or a payment site. Go directly to the site and log-in through there. Following this rule will help you avoid most scams!
- Remember - a bank, online payment gateway, Ebay, etc will never ask you to send your passwords or details over email or unsecured link.
- A common spoof/phishing identifier is if the email is addressed to "Dear customer" or "Dear user" rather than to your full name. Another common identifier is spelling or grammatical errors.
- If you did go to a site via a link (in an email or another site) - check that you are on the correct site. Check that the URL is completely correct (close enough is not good enough).
- Check that the site is encrypted (there should be a lock item on your browser toolbar and a valid SSL certificate when you look up the site properties). All legitimate sites will have encryption in any area where you are required to enter log-in and other confidential details.
- If you clicked on a link and were taken to a spoof website - run spyware and anti-virus software on your computer. Many fraudulent websites will attempt to install malicious codes on your computer.
- If you fall victim to phishing or spoof - change your login and password immediately. If you use the same or similar password elsewhere - change those as well.
- Remember - no legitimate business needs to send spam (uninvited) emails. If you get emails advertising a website, products, bargains, free software, etc and you did not sign up to receive such emails - do not trust them.
- Trust your instinct - if it smells fishy, there's probably a reason for the stink!
- Never reply to spoof/phishing or spam emails - not even to satisfy the urge to pour abuse at the sender.
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