The Washington DC Metro area is known to have some of the best high-tech companies and some of the best technical minds in the country, but along with this recognition, it seems we are now known for the area with the most cyber-criminals.
A report by The Internet Crime Complaint Center states, D.C. has the most cyber-criminals per capita at 116 for every 100,000 people, while Maryland and Virginia ranks 19th (29.72 perpetrators per 100,000) and 28th (24.12 perpetrators per 100,000) respectively.
Cyber-criminals are those who conduct cyber-crimes and cyber-crimes are criminal acts completed using a computer such as electronic commerce theft, intellectual property rights and identity theft. It may also involve activities such as child pornography; credit card fraud; cyber-stalking; defaming another online; gaining unauthorized access to computer systems; ignoring copyright, software licensing, and trademark protection; overriding encryption to make illegal copies; software piracy; and stealing another’s identity to perform a criminal act.
Some of the most common reported activities were non-delivery of goods or services, identity theft, credit/debit card fraud and auction fraud. The report also stated men lost more to cyber-crooks than women, with the median loss to men at $650 per complaint while $500 for women. Furthermore, the report stated people between 40 and 49 lost the most, $700 per complaint and they filed the most complaints at 23 percent, while people under 20 filed the fewest complaints at 3 percent.
Below are five cyber safety tips by SecurityOrb.com to help you from becoming a victim of cyber-criminals:
1. Run a Clean Machine. Having the latest updated anti-virus, anti-malware installed on your PC should be a priority. A whopping 20 percent of computers don't run these software or even have a firewall in place. If you need help, ask. It's better to be protected than fearing you'll look like a dummy because you don't know how to update your PC. Good places to get information about security software include the Department of Homeland Security's US-CERT.gov, StaySafeOnline.info or OnGuardOnline.gov. Be sure to buy your software from reputable, well-known AV companies.
2. If In Doubt, Delete! When opening email, be smart. Most people can recognize spam mail or email that doesn't belong in their inbox. When in doubt, delete an email. Spam or unsolicited email can often contain links, which if clicked on, can infect a PC.
3. Look For Security Signs. When on a company's Internet site, check for the following security signals to ensure you're where you're supposed to be. Note if the web address begins with "https" -- this means you're on a secure server using SSL encryption. Also look for a padlock icon at the bottom of the browser page. Click on it and you'll see the site address. The address will match the web site address at the top of the page. If they don't match, get off the site immediately. Using the latest browsers including Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox 3 will allow you to see "green" visual cues on websites with extended validation (EV) SSL Certificates.
4. No Address or Phone Means No Deal. If you do find a small merchant that has just the item you're looking for at an unbelievable price, see if they've got an address and phone number. Call and ask for more information or a catalog. Your call goes to voice mail? Watch out; you may have wandered onto a criminal's website. If you do get someone on the phone, ask questions about their privacy policy and refunds or resolution policy. If you don't like what you hear, go somewhere else. Print out and keep receipts of all transactions to back up any return requests.
5. Shop At Home. Avoid sharing computers, just like you should avoid sharing passwords. Performing sensitive transactions such as giving out credit card numbers or checking your online bank account should be done at a computer only you use. Logging in and doing these transactions on shared computers at libraries or other places where anyone can use them is dangerous. Hackers can easily install a keylogger onto the computer, and it captures everything that is typed onto the keyboard, including sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers and bank account numbers.
Comments
another great website offering common-sense PC/Internet security tips is Really Simple Security. Just go to youtube/reallysimplesecurity
Great post.
Perhaps I can just add to this that the best way to guard against being ripped off by online sales or auctions of any kind, is to use a bona fide online escrow company. Although it does add some cost, that will take uncertainty out of the transaction.
For my money, the best bona fide online escrow (and there seems to be ten fraudulent escrow sites for every bona fide one) is probably Escrow.com; in fact, it’s the only one that eBay recommends.
Take care,
Ulf Wolf
All great tips. In general, most people don't go much beyond anti-virus software where security is concerned. In fact, most of the stuff people share online is just chatter with no value. If you are someone that shares valuable information online and you want a simple way to make sure that information is only accessed by those you authorize, then try using something like hushmail.com or threadthat.com. Both offer free services that will help you protect your online valuables.
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