In
today’s age of information technology and digital marketing, it is wishful
thinking to isolate oneself either from the pros and cons of the same. The
moment a customer enters the World Wide Web, there are many unscrupulous
elements lurking to attack and swindle the innocent. Striking back, Government
Intelligence Agencies have come forth to create a strong anti-spam network,
aiming to catch the offenders and offer solace to those affected.
Online
Scams differ between one another in terms of type, category, magnitude and
intention. A proper knowledge of the above categorization can help in mapping
crimes to the right agency. Resorting to the right agency at the right time
will pave the way for speedy justice and compensation. The different options available for a victim to counter online scams are as follows:
Reporting Online Scams to Government
Agencies:
Every
country has its own set of security agencies for spam protection. For example
the United Kingdom has the following agencies which look into online scams:
- FBI, Federal Trade Commission
- U.S. Department of Justice
- Internet Crime Complaint Center
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
- Metropolitan Police
- Spam Cop
In
India, the concept of Cyber Security is an upcoming area. Currently, the DeitY
which is the appropriate board in charge of Electronics and Information
Technology has a framework of Cyber Laws
and Security against Cyber Crimes and in laying down Laws to prevent such
crimes. The Agency is into R & D activities to counter Cyber Terrorism. Adequate
measures for training in IT security awareness and in obtaining cross border
cooperation are the other salient features.
- Reporting to Internet Service Providers and Mail Developers:
Corporations
like Yahoo, Outlook who are the dominant players in the e-mail market have
development special Fraud Prevention Wings to counter the baneful impact of
online scams. Receiver of malicious mails, spam mails, obscene mails can write
to the email provider of the concerned mail.
- Safe usage of cards and online banking:
Most
of today’s cards are chip embedded ones and can be taken off immediately after
swipe. Confidential Information such as PIN and CVV must never be disclosed.
When shopping online, customer must be convinced about authenticity of the
website. It is better to make use of established payment options or by Pay Pal.
Nowadays; most merchant gateways are made secure by requesting one time
password (OTP). More caution must be exercised
while doing mobile shopping. Most big retailers provide apps which can be
safely downloaded for shopping.
- Caution while emailing and socializing:
When
opening emails from unknown senders, due care must be exercised while dealing
with pop ups and hyperlinks. Some pop ups are intelligently devised such that
clicking anywhere on the popup would mean a concurrence to subscription of the
service. While using social media like face book or twitter, one must look out
for friend requests from strangers with caution. Other measures of prudence
would include coining strong passwords with combination of alphanumeric words
and special symbols, ensuring sign off and also not checking the remember me
box when using public net cafes. Setting Security questions for bank accounts
and email accounts, changing mail passwords frequently are also protection
techniques against online scams.
