People who were victims of Internet
fraud or scamming have to file a fraud report immediately after the crime was
committed, especially if cash was involved. The victim’s bank account or their
credit card company will also request for a copy of this fraud report, as well
as the major credit agencies. If the victim is in the process of filing a
report, it is recommended that they contact their local police station and talk
to their fraud or cybercrime division, if they have one.
Over the years, credit card fraud
has now become a huge problem on the Internet, that there’s not really an exact
number that determines the total amount of cash lost. And even though a lot of
banks are sensitive when it comes to the issue of online fraud, an FBI report
has actually stated that credit cards are to blame for the $315B loss that the
US has endured during the huge financial fraud of 2005. Another study has also
revealed that 22M Europeans have fallen victim to credit card-related frauds
back in 2006.
Terms that are associated with
online fraud, such as skimming, dumpster diving, pharming, or phishing might
seem like ordinary, harmless words but they’re only a handful of the many
different ways that money can be stolen from the person’s bank account.
Phishing is a type of fraud usually
conducted through email. The perpetrator will steal a person’s private
information. Phishing emails disguise themselves as coming from a popular
organization, and will ask for the individual’s personal details, like their
credit card number, the security number, account number, or their email
password. Sometimes, these emails will come from Websites that the person
hasn’t even signed up for.
Another brand new credit card fraud
is called ‘pharming’. This is actually more dangerous than other types of
online fraud. Pharming corrupts a Domain Name System. This means the victim can
type in the URL for an actual financial institution, and will be redirected
over to the compromised site without them even being aware of the changes.
Without knowing about the danger they will soon encounter, the victim will
place in the details of their bank account or their credit card number, making
them susceptible for hacking or scamming.
If a person is a victim of identity
theft and is aware that the perpetrators have obtained all of the info they
need to use their card without their consent, they can send an email to the
three major credit bureaux in the US and request them to freeze their card
reports.
If they file a fraud report with
these bureaux, they can add in a note to their credit file that informs people
who will attempt to use the person’s card that they have become a victim of
fraud and to contact the victim using the phone number that they have provided when
they filed the online fraud report.
