Asked by
ankit gupta
in
Computers & Technology
at
7:03 PM on November 07, 2008
Dan Dan's Answer
Your biggest risk is identity theft. It isn't considered online fraud, but often involves email and a website. There's a common practice called "phishing" where you get an email from someone important (like your bank, PayPal, Ebay, etc.) asking to update personal information. It has a real return address and the link goes to an official looking website. Everything seems reputable but it isn't. You just gave your information to a criminal.
Lesson: This trick plays on the fact that it is quite easy to copy graphics to make a website that mimics a real one. The message goes out to thousands of people and several fall for it. Don't give out personal information like credit card numbers, social security number, or passwords unless YOU initiate the communication.
Answered at
7:19 PM on November 07, 2008
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