Internet Fraud

Internet Fraud

Internet Fraud refers to any type of fraud scheme utilizing one or more online tools, such as chat rooms, email, websites or message boards - to present fraudulent solicitations to prospective victims, to conduct fraudulent transactions, or to transmit the proceeds of fraud to financial institutions or to others connected with the scheme.

Most of the fraudulent activity taking place on the Internet today is done through stolen credit cards, which are obtained in many ways. One of two ways is hackers gaining access to company databases and stealing the information and secondly employees who deal with thousands of customers selling credit card information to criminals. A good habit to get into if you use your credit card frequently is checking you credit cards statements at the end of each month to ensure there are no charges on there that you didn't make.

Here are some other types of fraudulent activity being conducted on the Internet:

Business opportunity/"Work-at-Home" schemes - business opportunities that will supposedly allow individuals to earn thousands of dollars a month in "work-at-home" ventures. These schemes tend to require the potential employee to pay anywheres from $35 up to hundreds for training and work material that never end up in your hands. Remember, you never have to "pay" to work!

Online Automotive Fraud - fraudsters post vehicles, sometime luxurious ones for much less than retail value. A buyers contacts the seller hoping to score a deal. The seller informs the buyer that the vehicle is located overseas and that the buyer is required to send a minimum payment of X amount of dollars in order to start the shipping process. After a few days or weeks have passed, the buyer realizes that they have been scammed as there is no more communication between the buyer and seller. Always research the seller unless in is a reputable person or company. Ask for comments from previous buyers, or preform a background check on the seller/company.