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don't be an online victim how to guard against Internet thieves and electronic scams introduction to identity theft and electronic scams has the media hype about identity theft made you afraid the bank or conduct other financial transactions online do you feel helpless in protecting yourself from identity theft if you answered yes to either of these questions this program is for you you can reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim of identity theft by following the tips in this program will also provide concrete steps to lessen the sting if you do become a victim what do we mean by identity theft generally speaking identity theft is the use of personal identifying information such as a social security number birth date or mother's maiden name to commit fraud the types of fraud range from hijacking an existing deposit or credit account to creating alternate identities by using personal information to open new accounts and obtain credit or driver's licenses how can identity thieves obtain your personal information in several ways for example these can get your personal information in ways that don't require a computer like stealing your wallet or your mail thieves can also try to steal your personal information online through electronic scams we'll focus on two of the most prevalent the first is phishing pronounced phishing which is exactly what these thieves are doing phishing for your personal financial information they want any confidential information they can use to loot your bank accounts make purchases on your credit cards or commit other types of fraud using your personal information with personal information obtained from a successful phishing scam these thieves can take out loans or obtain credit cards a driver's license or an identification card in your name through this fraud criminals can damage your financial history and personal reputation which can take years to unravel but if you understand how phishing works how to protect yourself you can help stop this crime here's a typical fishing scenario you receive an email that appears to come from a reputable company that you recognize and do business with such as your financial institution in some cases the email may appear to come from a government agency including the FDIC or of the federal bank regulatory agencies the email will probably warn you of a serious problem that requires your immediate attention it may use phrases like immediate attention required or please contact us immediately about your account the email will then encourage you to click on a button or link in order to access what you think is the institution's website at this point you may be asked to update your account information or to provide information for verification purposes such as your social security number your bank account number your password or the information you use to verify your identity when dealing with the real financial institution your mother's maiden name or your place of birth for example if you provide the requested information you may become a victim of fraud and identity theft another way that thieves can obtain your information electronically is by installing malware on computers you use to conduct financial transactions online malware is another name for malicious software programs designed to be used in unscrupulous ways malware can disrupt your computer report information about you to someone else or even cause your computer to attack another computer viruses are considered malware as are many forms of spyware several types of malware and spyware are computer programs or files installed on your computer without your knowledge that report information about you back to someone else these programs can also include Trojans and keystroke loggers other types of programs that can find their way to computers through dubious means the information these programs collect may be relatively innocent such as your internet browsing habits but sometimes the malware is after much more your personal information malware can selectively collect and automatically send out details about your computer and personal information to criminals ready to use the information to commit fraud these programs are becoming more sophisticated and ingenious and their ability to get onto your computer and hide this is why it is so important to have anti-virus software and anti spyware on your PC to look for and eliminate Trojans and keystroke loggers as well as other types of malware you may encounter let's begin by talking about how your computer can be infected with malware have you or someone you know ever gone to a website and downloaded a file that looks cool such as the latest song or a film clip from a popular movie before you download that file be aware that malware sometimes tags along with these files in a process called bundling so that while you may be getting that file you may also be getting more than you bargained for don't be fooled malware can automatically be downloaded from websites even those that seem perfectly innocent you may even mistakenly choose to download spyware because it sounds useful or trendy maybe it's disguised as a unique screensaver or other seemingly useful program it can be disguised in multiple ways in some cases the prompt to download the program may be worded in such a way that you think you have to accept the download for the website to work you must be careful why because your computer also can be infected when you mistakenly open a malicious email message or click on links that are included in the body of an email so what can you do first make sure that you practice safe surfing and are cautious about the websites that you and your family visit second if you choose to download programs from the internet make sure you do so from only reputable websites also make sure you read all privacy and licensing agreements carefully so that you understand exactly what the programs will do and whether any other programs are downloaded at the same time specific spyware distributors may use these agreements to prove that you did agree to download their program even though it may have been without your informed consent as we mentioned earlier sometimes spyware programs will tag along with other downloads third be careful when opening unsolicited email sometimes called spam you never know what programs may be run when you open the email if the message contains links to websites make sure you know where the links will lead if you are in doubt don't open the email and definitely don't click on any of the links finally be careful when using public computers to perform any type of personal financial business you don't know what types of malware may be installed on the machine just logging in to check your account balance make you away your personal information if spyware has been installed on that computer how to protect your information and your computer now that you know the ways fees can gain access to your personal information using your computer let's discuss what actions you can take to protect your information these actions can significantly lessen the chances that you will become a victim of identity theft never provide your personal information in response to an unsolicited request whether it is over the phone or over the Internet emails and internet pages created by Fisher's may look exactly like the real thing they may even have a fake padlock icon that ordinarily is used to denote a secure site if you did not initiate the communication you should not provide any information if you believe that contact may be legitimate contact the company yourself here's the key you should be the one to initiate the contact using contact information that you have verified yourself never provide your password over the phone or in response to an unsolicited internet request a financial institution or any reputable business would never ask you to verify your account information online these armed with this information and your account number can help themselves to your savings review account statements regularly to ensure all charges are correct if your account statement arrives late call your financial institution to find out why if your financial institution offers electronic account access periodically review your transactions online to make sure there isn't any suspicious activity protecting your computer you may have been advised to use a firewall and install virus and spyware protection software but if you're not technology savvy you may not know what to do in this section we'll talk about some simple ways you can avoid infecting your computer and we'll explain what you can do if despite your best efforts your computer does become infected if you've been using your computer's internet connection for entertainment to make purchases online or to access your bank account you probably already know that malware including viruses and spyware can cause problems for your computer what you may not have known as we discussed earlier is that these programs may also be collecting your personal information without your knowledge let's begin by talking about viruses most viruses and other forms of malware are created by computer hackers or other criminals who derive satisfaction from wreaking havoc with innocent Internet users how does a computer become infected as we explained earlier viruses as well as spyware and other forms of malware can find their way into your computer in several ways they can hide in emails and load themselves when you open the email they can come from a diskette or CD that you place in your computer's media readers or from internet files you download how can you tell if your computer has contracted a virus here are some early warning signs your computer may suddenly start operating very slowly or it will automatically reboot while you are running other programs viruses generally attack your computer's hard drive and if unchecked can cause real damage how will you know if your computer has been infected with spyware on the surface you may not know that your computer has been infected with spyware unlike viruses if your computer is infected with spyware you probably won't immediately notice anything different but there can be subtle signs for example your computer may be running more slowly than usual spyware may be using some of your computer's power to keep track of your actions order report your activities to an unknown third party another sign you may be getting more spam messages in your email inbox this also could be occurring because spyware may be reporting your email address to a third party you also may notice that you are getting more pop-up advertisements even when you're not using the Internet so what can you do the good news is that several companies scour the internet looking for new spyware viruses and other forms of malware and then create products to erase them from personal computers how can you protect your computer use an antivirus protection software product on your computer which can be acquired from many well-known and trusted vendors new malware is created every day so make sure that the software is updated regularly and frequently by subscribing to antivirus and anti-spyware software services you can take comfort in knowing that new malware can be discovered and erased before they cause problems make sure you update the anti spyware and antivirus program frequently to ensure that new types of malware are detected after you update the program run a scan to clean anything that may have infected your computer in the interim if possible install the software so that it automatically updates and scans your computer frequently even daily one important note some virus protection programs can also detect spyware but if your virus protection program does not specifically state that it also detects spyware then it probably doesn't just because antivirus and anti-spyware software is installed on your computer you can't forget about safe computing habits such as never clicking on email attachments from those you don't know or downloading software and files from sources you can't trust protecting your computer from viruses is like wearing a seat belt when you drive it just makes good sense remember to educate all members of your household who use your computer about safe cuting habits even if you're careful about your internet surfing and computer habits your computer can still be infected with malware if your spouse or children open spam email or download files from questionable sources this can potentially compromise your personal information install a firewall firewalls analyze incoming and outgoing traffic on your computer they also reject traffic that may be potentially malicious generally firewalls intended for home use are computer programs you install on your computer while personal firewalls are relatively inexpensive they can go a long way and protecting your computer from hackers and if the firewall is set up properly it can also stop spyware from reporting information about you without your knowledge what can you do if you become a victim of identity theft right now there are steps you can take to determine if your accounts have fallen victim to an identity thief you have the right to get a free copy of your credit report once a year you can request this form by internet toll-free telephone call or mail be sure to check your report carefully to ensure that you have not become a victim of identity theft look for any inconsistencies or red flags in your credit reports such as accounts you didn't open debts you can't explain or inquiries from companies you haven't contacted you should also review all of your bank and credit card statements as soon as you receive them check to see whether there are any unauthorized transactions on those statements if you have become a victim of identity theft be proactive here are some steps you need to take as soon as possible these steps will minimize the damage and maximize your control over the situation make sure to document and keep a record of all your conversations and copies of all original correspondence first contact the fraud department at any one of the three major credit bureaus ask for a fraud alert to be placed in your file at all three companies you only need to contact one of the three companies to the alert there are two kinds of fraud alerts a one-time alert that is good for 90 days and an extended alert that is good for seven years an alert tells lenders and other users of credit reports to be aware you have alleged that identity theft has occurred and to be careful before opening or changing accounts in your name once an alert has been put in place credit reporting agencies are required to block Agilent information from appearing on your credit report here is contact information for the three major credit bureaus you will be able to print these addresses out at the end of this presentation second once you place a fraud alert in your file you are entitled to order free copies of your credit report if this is the first time that you have seen your report look for the inconsistencies or red flags in your credit report that we previously mentioned accounts you didn't open debts you can't explain or enquiries from companies you haven't contacted if you find fraudulent or inaccurate information call to get it corrected or removed again remember to document and follow up every conversation in writing don't just review your credit reports once review them periodically to make sure no new fraudulent information has appeared third contact the financial institution or the companies where the fraudulent activity occurred many companies especially financial institutions have specific fraud or security departments that deal with this issue follow up any telephone calls in writing and send letters by certified mail return receipt requested so you can document what the company received and when and with whom you spoke if the company has already reported the accounts to the credit reporting agencies ask the agencies to dispute the accounts and make sure to get it in writing fourth file a report with your local police or the police department in the community where the crime took place obtain and maintain a copy of the police report this w ll help you deal with creditors who need proof of the crime you can also check with other state law enforcement resources in your state to see what is available to assist victims many state agencies have special resources and tips and fifth file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission the FTC by sharing your information with the FTC you can provide information that can help law enforcement officials track down identity thieves and stop them you can file online at WWF in sumer gov / ID theft or you can call the hotline toll-free at 187 ID theft or write to the address shown here you'll be able to print this information out at the end of this presentation for more information visit on guard online gov on guard online gov provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against internet fraud secure your computer and protect your personal information you can also print out a list of all the contact information that was listed in this presentation the internet can give you access to a world of information entertainment financial offers and services enjoy its opportunities but be alert to the hazards of online thieves and electronic scams we hope this program has given you valuable tips on how to protect your personal information and your computer and helps you to feel safer online