Know how to spot an internet fraudster

Internet banking and online shopping have just about become a norm in our fast-paced digital society but unfortunately those same conveniences have made us more vulnerable to fraudsters and scams.

Internet fraud and ATM scams are a harsh reality and thousands of ordinary South Africans are falling victim to such “attacks” because the perpetrators are creating malicious malware and software that can virtually infiltrate any safety precautions.

Florida Police Station’s Captain Lydia Mtila-Dokolomela advises you to keep a few tricks of the trade in mind when you are on the internet,which could potentially save you a lot of money.

“Avoid doing banking on computers that are accessible to the public, fraudsters want to gain access to your account details and passwords. Remember to install up-to-date anti-virus software and firewalls and take extra precaution when you receive emails from an unfamiliar sender,” she said.

While we have all heard that we should not be giving out personal information to foreign sources, especially on the internet, remember that no financial institutions would or should request your login details via the web.

Be wary of the following tricks that internet fraudsters use:

– Placing key loggers on the tower (keyboard input) to record all your keystroke information.

– Sending you an e-mail with key logger software as an attachment.

– Phishing: sending you an e-mail that appears to come from the bank (with logos and colours present)

– Sim-swop: the victim’s cell phone number is obtained by posing as the owner and reporting the cell phone stolen to the service provider –this renders the victim’s cell phone useless while the fraudsters intercept the password/pin sent by the bank for the online transaction.

If you suspect that you have been a target of internet fraud, contact the police and your service providers immediately.