According to a recent survey, it is estimated that people in the UK lost about £1.3 billion last year in respect of internet fraud. With a sharp increase in cyber crime we are witnessing many new forms of fraud and it is becoming very difficult for common internet users to keep using the internet without being caught out by these frauds.
The survey revealed that there are three main forms of internet fraud which were used to defraud people in the UK last year.
One of them is very common and nearly everyone faces the danger of falling in this trap.
In this you receive an email in which you are being told that you have won a large amount of money in a lottery (in which you never took part or entered) and all you have to do is to send them you personal and bank details to them so that they can transfer the money in your account.
Now there is a twist in this form of fraud. They will either ask you for your details or will ask you for a little amount of money in the name of money release charges. Now, it is easy to judge that the second one is definitely a fraud as they are asking for your money!!!
But what about the first one in which they are telling you that you do not need to submit any money and they just need to have your personal and bank details so that the money could be transferred to your account!!
Seems reasonable? Many people would think that there is no harm in giving out their personal and bank details and is obviously necessary in order to transfer the money to their bank account. But the matter of fact is that it is even more dangerous to supply your details than to give them a small amount of money.
So what is the harm in giving out your details? It’s simple!!! The people to whom you are supplying your details will use it in many ways to do wrong acts while using your name and details.
They can order a credit card by using your bank details and quoting all the personal information that you have supplied to them which is necessary in processing a credit card.
Once they have successfully ordered a credit card in your name, they will use it up to its limits and you will get the surprise by receiving a bill for thousands of pounds in respect of a credit card which you never had.
This is just one example of a misuse of your personal details. There are many other ways in which your personal information could be misused by others so make sure that you do not supply your personal details to anyone you do not know.
When using your credit card on internet, make sure that the webpage you enter your card details is secure. Many people do not know what a secure webpage is but it is very easy to check this.
There is a lock sign on the bottom right of the webpage if it is secure and otherwise it won’t have the lock sign. If you are using windows vista, the lock sign could be found at the end of the address bar. So now when you shop online or make a payment online, make sure that the webpage is secure.
