Identity Theft -the war is on

Identity Theft-The war going on

2008-02-24T00:59:00.000-08:00

Identity Theft-The war going on
Social Networking Traps

When I got introduced to one on the famous social networking, i saw a lot of positive factors in it. It was just like reunion of alumni .Social Networking Sites are now getting more popular among all age groups. Peoples are making their own groups may be for social cause, recreation, discussion and much more. Several spend whole day in these sites. Bad guys find this way very attractive to steal information about others. Their presence in these site accounts for many online frauds.

Here is a story:
My friend has many online friends, with whom he shares many things.
He told me about one of his online friend, a very nice guy. This guy is very rich, and wants to invest his money in some good resources. He offered my friend a proposal according to which he will give his whole money to my friend, and will take some share in profit. He also said he cannot invest in his own country to some tax dispute. My friend responded positively to him, along with personal information. In this response he asked for bank statement, a contract letter, and some processing fees. My friend gave that also, and still waiting for dreams to fulfill after 6 months have passed, that guy was his friend for last one year.
The moral of story is we should avoid such offers, without any doubt, why someone will want you to be a millionaire in less time.

Here are some points that should be noted down, while using well known websites

(1)Avoid any stranger knocking at your screen, they can be a trap for you .Several are trying to be your friend, some are true, some are false, decision is yours.

(2)Try to hide yourself as far as possible; otherwise you will see objectionable material on your name. They can use your information for any type of misuse.

(3)Photo frauds are also increasing; all though they are fake, but can be a matter of tension to you. Avoid posting your personal & family photos on web, as chance of their misuse are very high.

(4)Making emotional bond with online friends can be dangerous. For some peoples online flirting can be a game but sometimes its results are very severe.

Remember prevention is better than cure. If you are not going online, because of identity theft fear, this is not right solution. You can freely browse through web, only you have to keep some precautions.

When we get invitation from some new websites to join them, naturally we accept those invitations. Some of them are also offering a chance to win ipods, laptops, software and some money also. These websites contains malicious code that is able to steal information from your computer .They record confidential information, they are also capable of launching transactions from your account after getting enough information.
They will be watching your online activities, doing some harmful action in back. Bad guys are also making fake websites that resemble to original, with bad intentions.

Celebrity Watch
Many of us are very crazy about celebrities, their lifestyle, possessions and much more. There are many sites on web that are declaring themselves as Official website of celebrities. They promise for gifts, belongings and even a coffee with celebrities. But nothing is going right; they are only looking for your personal information. Never give them your real information, they can misuse it. For original websites you can consult with your friends rather than searching on web. Also report such websites which are misusing the celebrity's authorities, using their information for own profit.

Say no to Identity Thefts
Technology is changing life but it is only your awareness which can result in real change.

Identity-Theft The war goes on

2008-02-19T04:04:00.000-08:00

Trojans attacks- They are much confusing than computer viruses. They are never after your system but your browsing habits. They can send every information to their creators. This information can be your passwords, account id & much more. Actually they work as silent killers for us; hackers launch their attacks through these Trojans.
What they can do:
They are able to note each key press & send a log of it.
They can grab you screen for getting data.
They also make log of your browsing practices
They are able to launch denial of service attack during online money transactions.
They can use your computer to launch spam to different computer.

Different attack strategies used by Hackers

PayPal- free & secure online transaction system. Hacker sends you an email in name of PayPal, to open a free account or to get some extra bonus on current account, or warning to change your password. In fact they are trying to get your account.
Avoid these mails & links given in that mail.PayPal will never send you such irritating mails, they have a better system.
I am also user of PayPal for many years.

Surfing Habits: Based on your surfing habits, hackers are able to track you interests. If you are guy mad for games they will direct your browser to fake site resembling to some famous game site. Site will ask for registration, which will contain your personal information. They can also give you some discount on game DVDs which require some bucks. But they not going to send you any DVD, they are interested only in money. Typing mistakes can also create problem for you, for example you misspelled Amazon.com(it is an online shop),you will find a site that can be much attractive than original, having numerous offers boards. Freebies will move your screen; they will be providing you a lot of appealing offers. Always avoid these type of sites to whom you are not familiar. The approach can be to use a reliable search engine such as Google, Yahoo, Msn, Dogpile etc for searching relevant site.

Online Banking: This is the most critical area of application. Hackers keep watch on you machines, as you enter url of your bank in address bar they activate attacks on your computer. If they are successful in logging to your account with you, game is finished. They can do whatever they like. Stopping this type of attacks are not in level of ordinary user, it can be tackled only with advance security designs used by banks. But user should also take some precaution on their side.
Some advices usually given by experts on security for online banking are
(1)Never use networked machines for online banking.
(2)Develop a habit of changing passwords rapidly.
(3)Purchase some security software if you can from established brands such as Norton (Symantec). They are costly but they add life to your security.
(4)Consult your bank for enhancing security to your account. Bank of America provides a well defined security system for its customers account

Online Shopping: There are a lot of online shops, but traveling through them will not always be a good experience for us. All of us have a tendency to find better deals for saving bucks. Hackers understand this tendency very well; they have designed many pseudo websites for online shoppers. Their websites resemble to original sometimes better than them, and they have stolen identity of originals. Online shoppers generally do not pay attention to minor differences and go into trap losing money time and sometimes identity. Always look for "lock" icon in browser's status bar & viewing SSL certificate by clicking the lock icon. You can add some security by giving some setting to your browsers.

Emotional Blackmailing: Newest of its own type attack. Many peoples are getting mails from needy peoples & organizations for emotional support. Initially they will try to get your feelings by saying that "I am alone"," I am old"," We need emotional support" like things. If they are successful in getting your attention, they can offer you friendship, power of attorney, property, hidden treasure and much more. Based on your response they will try to get your emotional support. Then they will ask for some bucks, identification paper such as passport copy, bank statement or to sign some legal papers. This is not end of story; if they succeed in getting your consent in form of legal papers they can misuse it anyway. So don't try to help such needy peoples, you ca find alternate way to help. Note down their ip address from mails you have received or any website link provided by them and names, addresses, contacts provided by them. Get this information to publish it on net so other people can know about it.

Identity Theft -The war begins

2008-02-15T23:02:00.000-08:00

Losing your Identity-A new war begins

In this world whom you love most, naturally yourself. Your identity is the most valuable asset, what if it is lost. Identity theft is next attack that will be used against us; it will be more powerful than any existing attack. Do you remember cop of FACE OFF the Movie whose identity was taken by a bad guy, it was painful for him as well as his family. Everything means everything nothing will be left to loose. So we have to combat with this havoc in early stages to rid of it. Now the real story begins what is identity theft, its misuse & how to combat it.
Identity theft as defined by security specialist is a process through which evil guys are using your identity for some misdeeds. They will use your personal information such as name, address, phone no, social security id & much more for illegal jobs. You cannot count the level of attack that can be used against you.

How it is done:
Naturally they are using high end technology-INTERNET. Your are open to all when you are browsing through net. You find very attractive offer of making easy bucks (money) at no cost, they are only asking for some personal data & you will give; this is the trap for you. Actually many of us browse through net for some offers, freebies, money making tips & fun. We often encounter sites with catchy ads; we just click the ads and find more attractive offers. They are promising much to offer in lieu of your personal information; it can be your credit card no. & bank id also.

Various types of attacks that have been observed these days are as follow:
(1)Social Networking Websites-It is most approaching strategy used by attackers to win your trust. They appear to be your friends who want to connect you in their team for serious discussions, social cause, religious belief, fun or any other thing. But in fact they are after your personal information, which can be used or misused for their deeds. They can make you bankrupt or post a controversial debate on your name. It is not only dangerous for you but also your folks.

(2)Emotional & Attractive mails-One day I found email from some lottery office claiming that I have won millionaire prize. I replied their all mails until they asked me for my bank_id & some personal details. It is very common situation that almost every mail user has faced; clever never reply them but innocent get into their trap. These days a new
trend is also on turn, they are using emotional blackmailing. It will be a letter asking for some emotional help from your side, because they are old fellows, poor guys or something very politely written only to misguide you.

(3)False Websites (Phising)-While browsing you are aware of some famous websites, you type them on browsers and you are directed to that site. But you are not lucky every time there are many false websites appearing to be original where you will lose your data in false hands. They are using highly précised structured for this because a usual user cannot discriminate between real & fake.
Major areas of attacks are:
(1)Online Banking Website
(2)Online Shopping Website
(3)Religious Websites (Donation capture)
(4)Social Cause Websites & many more of general interest

The war is on & we all have to combat these attacks to make our future safe & secure. Join hands & share your stories to make a strong firewall against Identity theft.

Identity to world
Identity to life
It is only thing That makes you survive

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