Credit card fraud has been in existence for a long time now. In many cases, it has mainly rotated around getting other people’s credit cards and stealing their money from their bank accounts and ATM machines. However of late, credit card fraud has shifted towards the Internet. The biggest challenge with this is that whereas the technology that enables internet access to bank accounts and credit cards can flow so easily from one part of the world to the other, public knowledge of the security measures needed to be taken by credit card holders may not flow as fast. This means that a type of that may easily be detectable and preventable in one country that has instituted strict security guidelines, may not have reached another society that is poorly prepared to handle security issues relating to online accounts.
One of the easiest ways that fraudsters use to steal money from bank accounts is through the use of spyware. Spyware is a kind of malware that can easily be installed in your computer without your knowledge and which gathers information about your online and offline activities and sends it back to the fraudsters or the spy villains. Generally, unlike the viruses which are meant to disrupt the way your computer functions, spyware rarely show their presence. They simply go on with their business as they collect information about your activities and data that you’ve stored in your computer.
Among the information that will be sent to the fraudsters, is the kind of web sites that you visit, your passwords, and the various usernames that you use. It is important that you guard your computer from such attacks in order to ensure that nobody takes advantage of you. Here are some of the tips that can help you out:
- Do not use the same password that you use for different online accounts. Important e-mail accounts, online bank accounts, and other accounts that may cause you to be charged, should a unique password to reduce the chances of online fraud.
- Store the details of your credit cards, important bank accounts, and other information in an offline place such as a notebook, or a computer that is not accessible to the Internet. When storing these, ensure that you are the only person who can either access this information or make sense of it in case you need it. Alternatively, you can use services such as KeePass and LastPass to store your passwords.
- When it comes to personal information online, ensure that sensitive information that may cause you financial expenses are only transferred through a website that has https than http.
- Do not open or click on suspicious links that come in your inbox or on a websites telling you that you have received a certain amount of money.
- Install an antivirus that will ensure that your computer is safe from such attacks. Also enable firewall on your computer. Ensure that this software is updated regularly so that they are able to deal with the latest type of spyware.
- Do not share your credit card or a debit card details with a website when you’re signing up for a free trial service online. It’s not worth it.
(Contributed by: iMoney.my)
