Scams, fraud, phishing, identity theft and organised crime on the internet

Here I'm blogging about scams, fraud, phishing, ID theft, and organised crime on the internet.

The internet can be used as a place where people can operate illegally  without being identified. People can also operate on the internet illegally with a seemingly legitimate ID, but may be false. As this is the case, many websites on the web (and also email) are a seemingly easy target for internet misbehaviour.

Internet scamming and the like may be something as simple as a decent looking web based business that offer discount on products. Some don't send you the item once you've paid, or will clone your card. The next day your bank gives you a courtesy call, letting you know you've just been on a shopping spree somewhere in the middle east and gone £10,000 into your overdraft.

Similarly, some sites will ask you for personal information which may be misused, and certainly not in your favour. People can find themselves in a mess if someone uses their personal details to take out a loan, for example. The most unfortunate part is that it may be up to you to prove your innocence under certain circumstances should your ID be stolen.

Other forms of scamming or phishing could be malicious emails. Email addresses are 'harvested' from the entire web by search bots, and emails are sent to the addresses. These emails, which could look like your usual spam, could be advertising a product (commonly viagra/pornography). Often people who buy these products will have their personal details or payment method misused.

Another way for people to scam you on the internet could be on auction sites such as Ebay. If you were offering an item for sale, people wanting to buy the item could rip you off in several ways. They could send you a cheque that bounced, or a false bankers draft. In extreme circumstances, bidders could aggree to pay cash on collection, and upon arriving to make the deal begin haggling or even steal the item without paying. Safer ways to make transactions are to take payment direct by card, or use the paypal service, which is guaranteed, secured and policed.

Cybercrime/CyberTerrorism is a major problem of the internet. People can share sensitive information or plot physical or electronic attacks from opposite ends of the earth. This is a basic form of crime that has simply evolved with the way the world works. Many people can find this attractive, as the misperception is that Cybercrimes are lightly punished. Obviously if you were electronically steal millions from a bank, you would be punished just as harshly if you were to physically rob the bank, for example.

Many internet crimes/scams are innocent, and could be young people after a laugh, but all to often the people behind the scams or crimes are predators, and there actions are intentful.