In this difficult economy, more individuals are looking towards solid investments as a hedge against future tough financial times. However, as with any downturn in the economy, scammers are focused on taking advantage of an unfortunate situation by interjecting themselves into a legitimate investment arena. One of the most common ways that this is done is by creating a fake website that capitalizes on the reputation and good name of a legitimate bro ...

Computers continue to be plagued by SpyEye banking malware all over the globe. In addition, this malware infection is proving to be very difficult to detect and remove when residing in computers with infected Windows operating systems. This is according to two prominent researchers from the security division of EMC’s RSA, Uri Rivner and Jason Rader. [1] Uri Rivner is currently the head of the new technologies division for consumer identity protec ...

The definition of crimeware relates to a distinct class of malware that is designed to add automation to cyber criminal activity. [1] Originally the term “crimeware” was created by the Security General of the Anti-Phishing Working Group, Peter Cassidy, in order to distinguish it from other types of malicious software programs. Crimeware is differentiated from standard malware, adware and spyware insofar as its primary function is to perpetrat ...

A US court has determined that the use of another person’s Facebook identity may fall under identity theft laws. This legal determination, along with its accompanying penalties, can extend to false comments that are made under the stolen identity. In many cases, it can be possible for a stolen Facebook account access to be used to solicit assistance, in the form of money, from a Facebook user who is under the impression that the request comes from ...

As if finding a job in this challenging economy isn’t bad enough, now job seekers have to be on the lookout for identity theft scams. According to the Better Business Bureau of Central California, people who use job search sites such as CareerBuilder, Monster, Indeed, Simply Hired, Craigslist, etc., need to be careful about the legitimacy of the job offer before providing personal information. The sheer number of job seekers using or uploading the ...

In just over the course of one year, the IRS has admitted to processing and paying out approximately $12 million in tax claims that have proven to be fraudulent. [1] These paid claims had been submitted with the use of stolen Social Security Numbers along with the stolen names of 5,108 deceased individuals. Amazingly, every one of the claims had been processed under a single tax preparer electronic identification number. The number had, for some rea ...

Recently, Howard Stringer, Sony CEO, apologized for a serious breach involving the PlayStation Network (PSN) security system that forced Sony to take their service offline. [1] There was an official newsletter that was posted by Stringer that indicated “concern” and an apology for any subsequent “inconvenience” that was related to the attack. He also indicated that Sony has teams working “around the clock” in order to restore secure a ...

Internet Criminal activity is an ever-increasing reality. For example, the reported number of Internet rip-offs recently jumped an astounding 33% over the previous year (See References 1). Bear in mind, that this was the number of reported incidences. In many cases, victims of Internet fraud may be reluctant or embarrassed when it comes to standing up and being counted. Of course, the most insidious of Internet fraud involves criminal activity in th ...

Instant Messaging (IM) has become a primary source of online communication for many Internet users. It’s considered to be far more efficient to converse online, in real time, than to send an email and wait for a response. It was stated by the CTO and Vice President of Products for IMlogic, John Sakoda, that worms and viruses, which can be transmitted over Instant Messaging pathways, are growing exponentially. The current focus of attack has been s ...

Skype Software Details Businesses and personal users today have very familiar with the popular communication program known as “Skype”. (See: References 1) For inexpensive text, verbal and video contacts, Skype has become the program of choice for many. The program functions by allowing users to place voice and chat calls over the Internet (using a PC) in the same way that VoIP calls are being used on an ever increasing basis (See: Referenc ...