“Of Mice and Megabytes Supplement”

WHO DO YOU TRUST?
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Back in the good ol’ days, around five years ago, the Internet was fun, a virtual Disneyland. E-mail was the new sweetheart on the block. There was so much promise, so much to look forward to. Then the thieves saw the Internet’s potential to scam people and it’s never been the same.

It didn’t take long for villains to realize the ease with which a fake, look-alike Web site or e-mail message could be fashioned. I’ve received e-mails purporting to be from my bank. These bogus messages state that a server malfunction or the new privacy disclosure laws require that they need my login name, Personal Identification Number (PIN), Social Security Number (SSN), and/or credit card information. Their request is sent with an official looking bank logo and, at first glance, it looks to be valid. But it’s a scam. It’s sobering to realize there’s only a thin line saving me from becoming another victim.

I’ve also received text-only messages from bold crooks whose request was straightforward: “You are the winner of a free membership. Please provide your social security number.” Dollars to doughnuts somebody complied.

Another trick is the spammer’s advertisement for free or low-cost home refinance loans. The advertised Web site has all the markings of legitimacy. And it seems only natural that a potential lender would request a SSN. While most Web sites offering mortgage loans are honest, can you trust a site provided by a spammer’s unsolicited solicitation? Be suspicious. There are stories about “refinancing” sites whose only intent is to gather personal information.

Crooks can easily make e-mails and Web sites appear to be the real McCoy. But as every legitimate institute has stated repeatedly, requests for personal info are never made via e-mail. (E-mail itself is an un-secure messaging device.) If your account profile needs to be updated, it’s done AFTER you’ve logged in. Be cautious too of e-mails that provide a link to a login screen of “well known” or “familiar” Web sites. Read the URL thoroughly. A minor variation can make all the difference in the world. A site with an address of www.bankamerica-info.com and NOT www.bankamerica.com could belong to a cyber thief interested in capturing your on-line login name and password.

Yeah, the “old” Internet was fun. Nowadays, though, you can never let your guard down. Be leery. Be weary. And THINK! You don’t have to be paranoid, but it helps.

Re-printed from the Rafu Shimpo, September 2003. Copyright©2003 Rafu Shimpo. All rights reserved.