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Prevention III:  7 Tips To Protect Yourself from E-mail Scams



Fraud Prevention



 

Safety checks to protect yourself from email scams

1.  First, stay calm.
It's natural to be alarmed by an email claiming your account has been frozen or your credit card information has been stolen. Resist your first impulse to reply. Never follow the instructions in the email.

2.  Keep your computer secure.
Some frauds can lure you into opening an email or attachment that secretly installs a 'trojan' that allows scammers to monitor your computer and access your bank, credit card and other accounts.

• Get an effective virus protection program and regularly download the latest version. If you have not upgraded for the past six months, your protection is probably inadequate.

• Get a 'firewall' to protect your computer from unauthorised access over the internet. This is especially important for broadband users.

• Delete suspicious emails without opening them. Avoid opening dubious attachments, even if the email seems to comes from someone you trust.

• Change your PINS. Regularly change your internet banking and shopping PINs. Some banks recommend changing your PIN as often as every month.

3.  Use your 'favourites' to go to the official website for your financial institution or type its URL in the address bar of your web browser.

Never click any link in an email unless you're certain the email comes from a trusted source. The hyperlink leads only to trouble. If there is a real problem, the genuine website will almost certainly tell you on its home page. You will not have to fix it by emailing confidential information. Some scam sites even show the padlock at the bottom of your web browser giving you a false sense of security.

4.  Suspect a scam if you’re asked for your account details or your passwords by email. Legitimate companies never ask for your account details or your passwords by email. If you get this kind of email, it's almost certainly a scam.

5.  For Australian sites, look for the ‘ .au’ domain such as ‘com.au’ or ‘net.au’.

In Australia anyone registering an .au domain must show a link between the proposed URL and an Australian trading entity. To date, ASIC has not come across a phoney .au site, although that doesn't guarantee it will never happen.

Despite this protection you must still be suspicious of any link given to you in an email. The address of your bank's real website can still appear as part of the link to a false website. The familiar link words in the URL are there to trick you by making you feel comfortable. But your website browser doesn't read all parts of the link and takes you to a false site.

6.  Take a few privacy precautions. Some authorities suggest avoiding personal transactions at Internet cafes, community centres and libraries. In some places, criminals have loaded software that records keystrokes. Check that nobody is looking over your shoulder and keep private information out of chat rooms or email.

7. Act quickly if you think you’ve been conned.

If you get a suspicious email contact your financial institution or your legitimate service provider directly. Do nothing about the email. Do not respond to any contact details in the email. If you're still uncertain or if you have sent any details through an email or website you’re a bit worried about, email or phone your financial institution or the legitimate service provider through their customer support department, and ask them to confirm the email's authenticity. They will tell you what to do next.


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