In a little over two decades, the tentacles of the Internet and the World Wide Web have spread far and wide. By March 2019, the global Internet penetration rate was almost 57% (which means over half of the world’s population is online). Even in Asia, Internet users constitute over 50% of the total population.
There are several implications of these figures, but one of the most critical among them is ONLINE FRAUD.
As we access the Internet over myriad devices – laptops, tablets, Smartphones, even Smartwatches and Smart TVs – we are vulnerable to fraudulent activity and scams that can present themselves in a number of ways, including:
- ‘Make money fast’ scams: Fraudsters take advantage of human greed to tempt people to pay a small amount of money in order to retrieve a large (non-existent) sum, often from a bank account in a foreign country. They may also encourage you to make risky investments or donate money to fake charities.
- Fake software installs: You may get a scary pop-up on your device saying that it has been infected with a virus. When you click on the pop-up – ostensibly to remove the virus – your device actually becomes infected with a virus or with malware that illegally tracks your online activity for other nefarious purposes.
- ‘Phishing’ scams: Cybercriminals may send you an email purportedly from a genuine institution to lure you to click on links inside the email and give them sensitive information (or even money). These emails can look like lottery winning notifications, loan offers, invoices, etc.
- Online blackmail: Fraudsters may claim to have access to your sensitive information (bank details, photographs, etc) and blackmail you to pay them large amounts of money to stop the release of this information. They may also harass you through social media.
There are a number of other ways we can fall prey to Internet fraud. Recently, a weakness in WhatsApp allowed hackers to install illicit ‘spyware’ on phones though voice calls. This spyware could access call details, texts and other data, and even remotely activate the phone’s microphone and camera. Facebook (which owns WhatsApp) released an update fairly quickly but some users were already adversely affected.
So what can we do to protect ourselves?
- Be vigilant: Use strong passwords and don’t share them with anyone. Avoid using public Wi-Fi networks but if you do, don’t undertake sensitive activities (such as logging onto your bank account) over it.
- Trust your instincts: If something seems too good to be true (“Win a 1 crore lottery if you pay 1000 rupees into our account!”), it probably is!
- Do your research: If you receive an unexpected email or phone call, don’t take immediate action. Don’t click on email links and use reliable sources to look into the sender’s details.
- Do due diligence: Received an email purportedly from your bank or a government organisation (e.g. IT department)? Contact them via another channel to confirm that the contact is genuine.
- Ask for help: Laws are in place to help victims of fraud or online harassment. Contact the police with details and proof.
At a speech in Athens in 2015, Mawlana Hazar Imam said, “It is not the power of our tools, but how we use them that will determine our future.”
We agree! Do you?
Worried about online fraud? You should be! But with online security products from Prime Infotech, you can protect yourself and your devices from cybercrime, fraud and harassment. We are the preferred reseller of world-class products from McAfee, Veritas, Symantec, Quick Heal – you name it, we have it! Contact us and we will show you how you can protect yourself and enjoy peace of mind.
Phone: 022-2308-0666 OR 9833650378
Email: salesdesk@indiaprime.com
