TECHIE TIDBITS
Spotlight on Internet Fraud
by Darren W. Hood

It has been approximately 13 years since people began signing up for Internet access. Since that time, while the number of those accessing the Internet has increased dramatically, those using the Internet don't always have the best of intentions.

With the growth of the Internet and Internet usage, Internet-based fraud has also become a reality and a "thorn in the flesh" for many. Two elements at the forefront of this threat are fraudulent e-mail and "spoofed" websites.

• Fraudulent e-mail presents information that appears to be authentic, when it actually serves as a front to a scam resulting in identity theft.
  
  
• A "spoofed" Web site is one that appears to look like a real site-one that you'd normally trust-but it's actually a copy, used in hopes of getting you to enter personal information. Most times, if not all, people are led to such sites via fraudulent e-mail containing a link to the spoofed site.

One of the keys to overcoming such threats is education. And one of the most educational and useful sites that I've ever seen on the subject of Internet-based fraud is FraudWatchInternational.com.

This site provides a "gold mine" of information. They provide details about and examples of various types of Internet fraud, including: phishing (i.e., identity theft scams), lottery scams, and Nigerian 419 scams.

FraudWatchInternational.com also offers memberships and an online community that includes discussion forums, priority assistance, fraud alerts, and an online newsletter.

If you're interested in keeping up with the latest information on Internet fraud, you'll definitely find that visiting FraudWatchInternational.com is worth your while.

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