Dark side of the Internet

I refer to the letter “Scam victim seeing red over bank’s lack of urgency” (The Star, Nov 13). The writer highlighted his frustrations over the cancellation of his credit card as a result of an Internet scam.
The Internet is a useful tool but it also has a dark side, and unless we take precautions, it can cause us more harm than good.


Cyber crime such as the Internet or phishing scam is pervasive, so much so that it has overtaken illegal drug trafficking as the No.1 criminal money maker. One in five people around the world will become a victim of cyber crime. Scammers and hackers don’t just destroy computers – they destroy lives.
Today, cyber criminals are more like off-line crime syndicates gangs. They operate in an underground cyber crime economy – equivalent to an Internet black market – where they buy, sell, barter and trade criminal skills, tools and even your private information, such as ID and credit card details.
Their methods are also getting sophisticated and devious. Our researchers see over 200 million attacks on average every month, most of them are never-seen-before threats and delivered via the Web.
Symantec is committed to reaching out to consumers to educate them on the changing online threat landscape and empowering them with tools and knowledge to avoid digital dangers and protect their online lives.
Here are some important tips you should always keep in mind to avoid Internet scams:
> Invest in a comprehensive security software. This is the most fundamental layer of defence to safeguard your financial information. Look at security software that not only offers basic protection from viruses and spyware, but also helps detect malicious attacks.
It’s no longer sufficient to have anti-virus solutions alone, but also two-way firewall, password encryption, anti-phishing toolbars and regular updates. Your security suite should also feature the latest technology as traditional solutions such as the signature approach and behaviour-based detection are obsolete and are not keeping pace with threats being created by cyber criminals.
> Be wary of e-mail asking for confidential information, especially of a financial nature. Legitimate organisations will never request sensitive information via e-mail, neither will they contact you out of the blue and ask for your account information.
> Don’t cave in to fear. Cyber criminals know how to trick us into lowering our defences. For example, they may threaten to disable an account or delay services until you update certain sensitive information. If there’s a legitimate reason that your bank needs information from you, they will contact you via official correspondence. Don’t let fear dictate your actions.
> If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. People go online to find great opportunities. They want to work from home, get investment tips or a good bargain. The reality is that if the deal sounds too good to be true, then it’s probably a scam. There are legitimate work-at-home opportunities, investing newsletters and sales deals online but they’re going to come with pros and cons just like the real world. If you don’t see any cons, assume that you’re seeing a scam.
> Familiarise yourself with a Web site’s privacy policy.
> Watch out for generic-looking requests for information. Fraudulent e-mail is often not personalised, while authentic e-mail from your bank often refer to an account you have with them.
> Never submit confidential information via forms embedded within e-mail messages. Never use links in an e-mail to connect to a Web site. Instead, open a new browser window and type the URL directly into the address bar.