Internet crime is a main factor militating against internet productivity around the world. Nigerians will say ‘Na wa o’ – everybody wan make moni for internet.lol
Anyways, some people have the ideology that any online business that comes up or that is advertised is devised by a con artist or scammer and the end point thus loss of millions of money from unguarded/ uninformed people.
Yes, i used ‘unguarded/ uninformed’ peope in that last line because in as much as there are scammers around waiting to cheat gullible people – the ‘people’ themselves are not well informed about information or businesses they are indulged in. For example, the new trend on the internet is Forex – foreign exchange trading. Some forex brokers come in and offer you heaven and hell some even give users deposit bonuses (reward usually in amount, higher than what these users even deposited) and while they think they are actually trading the world’s foreign exchange they are played with by the con artist. When they eventually make gain and decide to withdraw profit – the forex brokers deny them of it and since they didn’t carry out proper investigation of the forex broker, locating their offices always proves futile.
Just remember that as there are people seeking to make legitimate income on the internet so are there people equally seeking to make it through dubious means.
Another mode of internet scam is the use of phishing sites. Phishing sites are clones of legitimate sites that lure users into believing it is the real site. When these users access the sites and enter their personal identification details or bank details in the case of a financial institution. These fraudsters then steal these details and perpetrate fraud on their accounts. Most browsers notify users if the site they are loading is a phishing site warning them.
Be sure that if you are making payments online especially with credit / debit cards you see the secured VeriSign logo before you continue if not it might just be another instance of cybercrime.
· Never make payments to strange person(s) especially when goods have not been received.
· Ensure you scrutinize websites well before entering your personal details. Most of these cloned sites or sites used for crime are always sub-standard with sometimes bad English.
· Do not rush into any business on the internet. The internet is a community so ask questions about companies or business before indulging in them – people will always have answers for you.
· Do not disclose personal information to anyone and clear cookies on your browser regularly.
· Try to avoid HYIP (high yield investment programs) or equally investigate the companies thoroughly.
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