Internet crime – prevention advice
General advice | Junk email | Fraudulent emails | Internet scams |
West African 419 Fraud/Advance Fee Fraud
General advice
- Learn
about fraud scams on the DTI’s ‘Don’t
be a mug’ website, which contains contains guidance
on how to avoid scams and other ‘rip-offs’.
- Learn
about safe shopping on the Consumer Gateway website.
Remember: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably
is!
- Guidance
on the safe use of cards for online shopping/banking
is available on the Cardwatch website. While figures
from the Association for Payment Clearing Services
(APACS) suggested the Internet only accounted for
7% of UK credit card fraud in 2002, the figure has
risen from 2001, so it is important to take a few
simple precautions to protect yourself.
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Junk
email
New legislation on unsolicited commercial email (also
known as “spam” or “junk” mail)
came into force on 11 December 2003.
The new legislation includes two new rules for email
marketing:
- The sender must not conceal their identity and
must provide a valid address for opt-out requests.
- Senders of unsolicited email marketing messages
to individual subscribers must only do so with the
recipient’s prior consent.
Further information on the Privacy and Electronic Communications
(EC Directive) Regulations 2003 is available on:
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Fraudulent emails
There have been a number of emails sent out by fraudsters
that claim to be from legitimate banks.
These emails often ask you to follow a link to a website
that appears to be the website of that bank.
Once there, you are asked to give your login and password
details.
These spoof websites enable the fraudsters to get hold
of your details.
- Advice
for consumers on these so-called ‘phishing’
attacks has been issued by The British Banking Association,
together with the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit and the
Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS).
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Other Internet scams
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West African 419 Fraud/Advance
Fee Fraud
The 'West African' scam is also known as the '419'
advance fee fraud.
The scam is based on the premise that some major event,
such as the overthrow of a government, has resulted
in large sums of money being held in a country by a
person or persons who are seeking help in transferring
the money overseas. A proportion of the money is offered
for help to arrange the transfer.
Victims may be approached by letter, fax or more frequently
now email.
Anyone who responds receives another letter asking
for money for a last minute bribe. Inevitably, having
parted with their money, they never hear from their
African contact again.
For more information, contact:
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