| Internet Safety Tips
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| Internet Safety Tips The Internet places a vast amount of information and exciting experiences at your command. With the click of a mouse, the Internet allows you to buy an airline ticket, book a hotel, send flowers to a friend, or purchase your favorite stock. Good deals, convenience and a world of information abound for anyone with a computer and a connection. |
| However, as the legitimate use of the Internet increases
throughout our nation and the world, the wrongful use of the
Internet to commit crime and victimize people also increases. Law
enforcement officials across the nation are reporting an
ever-increasing variety of crimes being perpetuated via the
Internet. The following Internet crime prevention information is
meant to help you protect yourself, your loved ones, your friends,
your neighbors and your community, and to make your journey on the
Internet as safe, secure and crime free as possible. Below is a list
of crimes commonly perpetrated on the Internet and ways of combating
those crimes. |
| COMMON INTERNET CRIMES |
| Fraud |
| Fraud on the Internet takes many forms. The Internet's promise of
substantial consumer benefits is coupled with the potential for fraud
and deception. Fraud operators are opportunists who are among the first
to appreciate the potential of a new technology. A fraud artist can buy
a powerful computer and a modem for less than $1000.00 and for $30.00 or
less per month can establish and maintain a site on the World Wide Web
to solicit consumers anywhere in the world. There is nothing new about
Internet fraud, however, the size and potential market, relative ease,
low cost, and speed with which a scam can be perpetrated has increased
tremendously. |
| The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is a civil law enforcement agency
that can issue administrative complaints, conduct administrative
adjudication for "cease and desist" orders, or file federal lawsuits for
redress of injured consumers. The FTC may also seek criminal contempt
proceedings against persons who violate court orders issued at the
behest of the FTC. |
| Pyramid Schemes |
| Pyramid schemes are similar to multi-level marketing. Pyramid schemes
provide financial incentives to recruit new distributors. They are
generally prohibited because it is a mathematical certainty that the
pyramids will collapse when no new distributors can be recruited. When
that happens, most people lose their money. The Internet offers a fast
lane for pyramid builders by facilitating a large-scale recruitment pool
in little or no time. Be extremely cautious if a promoter offers you an
extremely large short-term return on any investment, particularly if
there is a disclaimer that the investment is "high-risk and you could
lose all of your money." Additionally, if there are no written claims
delineating the returns on other's investments, you are quite possibly
looking at a pyramid scheme. Beware of all get rich quick schemes. If a
deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. |
| Unsolicited Commercial E-mail |
| Internet service providers report handling 60 million electronic
messages per day. Estimates of Unsolicited Commercial E-mail (UCE)
indicate it comprises as much as one-third of the total E-mail traffic.
This ever-increasing volume of UCE strains the capacity of online
service providers and threatens the development of the Internet as a
conduit for commerce. Beyond the sheer volume and potential annoyance of
UCE, many UCE messages may also be misleading or deceptive. |
| Online Auctions |
| Online auctions are popular to many people who use the Internet.
Generally, online auctions are person to person sales where individuals
bid for various types of merchandise. The highest bidder then pays in
advance of receiving the merchandise. A growing problem is sellers
failing to deliver merchandise that consumers have purchased. |
| Teaser Pages |
| The Internet is rife with fraud and deception. Some web pages "tease"
individuals with promises of easy money for little or nothing. These
scams include phony scholarships, travel programs, weight loss programs
and others. |
| The Risk-free Scam |
| Many times this scam solicits its victims with exotic-sounding
investments such as wireless cable projects, prime bank securities or
fictitious business ventures overseas. Promoters misrepresent risk to
"investors" by comparing their offer to something safe, such as bank
security deposits. Many times the investment offer never really exists. |
| The Pump and Dump |
| This is a stock scam. Messages are posted on the Internet urging
readers to buy stock quickly that is poised for rapid growth. The
message writer often claims to have inside information about an
impending development. The reality is that the writer stands to gain by
selling or buying stock shares after the price goes up or down. This
ploy is normally used with unregistered, little known, thinly traded
stocks. |
| The Hijack |
| The Hijack is a relatively new form of fraud unique to the Internet.
Consumers are prompted to download a purported "viewer program" to see
computer images for free. Once downloaded, the consumer's computer is
"hijacked" by the viewer program which turns off the consumer's modem
speakers, disconnects the computer from the local Internet provider,
dials an international number and connects the consumer to a remote
site. The expensive international costs are charged to the consumer’s
telephone bill until the telephone is turned off. |
| High Pressure Sales |
| A high-pressure sales pitch may sound exciting, however, as a rule,
such a pitch should be resisted. Before you invest any money, take your
time. Get a second opinion from a financial planner, an attorney, or an
accountant you can trust. Finally, research the company’s reputation.
Call your local consumer protection agency in the city where the company
is headquartered for more information. |
| Following are lines frequently used by scam artists: |
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| Gambling |
| One of the greatest potential dangers for fraudulent loss posed for
people using the Internet is gambling. There are as many as 200 gambling
sites on the Internet. Consumers may gamble on sports, Blackjack, Keno,
Roulette, etc. Gambling on the Internet is especially risky because
gambling is an unregulated industry and currently, there is no effective
way to control it. Companies based in foreign countries using foreign
bank accounts are able to easily bilk consumers out of their money. Many
times Internet "gamblers" are unable to contact the companies with whom
they placed their bets to collect their winnings. Gambling on the
Internet exposes consumers to fraud, civil liability and possible
criminal liability. |
| Child Exploitation |
| Children can be sexually exploited, kidnapped, molested and solicited
by individuals using online services. One reason is the anonymous nature
of the Internet. Another reason is the large number of people using the
Internet. Pedophiles contact children on the Internet through E-mail
messages, electronic bulletin boards and public chat rooms. Pedophiles
will make telephone contact with victims by having children call collect
so the pedophile's telephone number will not show up on their parent's
telephone bill. Pedophiles will also purchase a prepaid telephone card
and give children a toll free access number enabling children to call
from anywhere they choose. |
| Pedophiles will often convince children to send them a photograph.
Pedophiles will offer children money for their photographs and/or pose
as professional photographers to obtain nude, graphic or sexually
explicit photographs of children. Pedophiles commonly attempt to lower
the inhibitions of children through deception in an attempt to lead
children into other sexual conversations or acts. There are a number of
ways parents can protect their children from becoming victims of
pedophiles on the Internet. The following are some examples: |
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