Crooks prey on young online

Crooks prey on young online

www.heraldsun.com.au

ONE in 10 Australian internet users - more than 1.3 million people - lost an average of $1000 each to cyber criminals in the past 12 months.

Crooks used online identity fraud to fleece victims of $1.286 billion in the past year, the VeriSign Online Fraud Barometer compiled by Galaxy Research revealed.

More than $200 million is yet to be recovered. Fraudulent emails and websites were the most likely source of identity theft, with 60 per cent of Australians exposed to at least one in the past

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
news.smh.com.au
www.lifehacker.com.au

Cyber crime is nothing new, especially cyber fraud, like those classic '419' Nigerian scams.

I am too smart to fall for such online thievery and deception. The telltale signs are all too real in front of my eyes.

Contributing to this problem is the use of antiquated browsers like Internet Explorer 6 and 7.

These browsers made by Microsoft are several years old and do not provide fraud warnings to its users.

A bit of advice to ATSers: Stay safe on the 'Net; be alert for Nigerian scams; and verify the person on the other side is truly the one you know.

www.heraldsun.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

Originally posted by ironfalcon


I am too smart to fall for such online thievery and deception. The telltale signs are all too real in front of my eyes.

Come on, lets face it - a moron would be 'too smart' for these scams.

The people falling for these are probably older people to whom the net and so on is very new, also country people tend to be immediately trusting and potential targets.

The only people getting done by these things are very unsophisticated, very trusting/helpful or mentally impaired.

The problem is that warning these groups is like waving a black flag on a dark night - one of my family members fits the above profile very well, unsophisticated, helpful, trusting. I of course get accused of being cynical and paranoid if I offer any sound advice on the real world.

Originally posted by Amagnon
...
The people falling for these are probably older people to whom the net and so on is very new, also country people tend to be immediately trusting and potential targets.

The only people getting done by these things are very unsophisticated, very trusting/helpful or mentally impaired.
...

Actually according to the article the opposite is true:

...
The most careless about online security were 18 to 24-year-olds. More than 69 per cent of this group admitted not checking if a website was safe before handing over the keys to their online identity.
...

One would think that this group is the most savvy when it comes to Internet security... ?!

From my experience most people from the older generation are VERY paranoid. My uncle and aunt for instance bought a shredder to make sure no document containing their names leaves the house via the garbage...

I'm amazed that young adults are so naive with their money and identities. I'm 26 myself and I have been sane enough to not fall for any of these scams in my eight years online. Maybe this would be a worthwhile endeavour to be placed into a school curriculum, educate these people before they leave school and make idiots out of themselves by doing whatever an email tells them to do.

Cynicism is a neccesary tool when conmen are out there and trying to actively fleece people, and paranoia is just the byproduct of our society when things like this are allowed to happen, albeit indirectly by people too trusting to see straight. Free money does not exist.

this is called natural selection

... its just sad

yup, the old people country folk isnt really working for me.. not only did the report claim 18-24 year olds are the main people being caught by these scams, but i have grown up in 'cow country' usa, trusting overall they arent lol.. not by a freaking long shot, most dont answer their doors past 8pm without a shotgun in their hand..

but people.. in genereal, no age bracket given- can be very much an unthinking majority.. this is just one of the issues that is a product of that.. that and the desire for wealth.. monetary wealth that is.. most scams i have got through email over the years offer a great sum of cash in replying.. many dont even see the rest of the email beyond those numbers.