With the rapid innovation and advancement in technology, every aspect of the human life has been impacted. The digital revolution, one of the biggest success stories of the 20th century has restructured the life of a common man in a way that no one has imagined. Today, I see eager internet users across various age-groups trying to capitalize their personal, professional, social and global growth via the medium. The manner in which mobile devices have provided the ease and accessibility, every company, every service provider wants to reach out to their customer through the internet. The opportunities created, the products and services offered are endless and available at the click of a button.
The way the internet has made everyday tasks faster and more convenient, like shopping and banking, it has simultaneously given rise to an entire frontier of fraudsters and scammers to trick and loot the common man. The magnitude of cybercrime has been increasing considerably on a daily basis and as per the latest reports, one in every ten people are falling victim to internet fraud. A recent survey showed that the most common type of online frauds that people are gullible to are identity theft frauds, purchase scams, business investment opportunities, phishing, and pharming. However, the most repetitive kind of fraud that I have come across is the beneficiary scheme and lottery winner scam.
As educated people, we are cautious and are able to identify fraudsters on the basis of how they tackle the entire situation from fishing for sensitive information to asking for monetary transfers. However, not everyone is vigilant and the total number of cyber offenses in 2017 have exceeded 11.8 million cases of which 3.6 million were identity thefts while 2 million were device related misuse. Fraud examiners have analyzed billions of transactions and revealed that credit card fraud, identity theft, and account takeover or hijacking attempts are the leading cybercrime schemes over the years. Even with these huge numbers, experts believe that over thirty percent of the offenses each year go unreported due to the stigma attached to being a victim or distrust in the system.
Do’s
§ Use licensed versions of computer software only.
§ Update the antivirus software and antispyware programs.
§ Turn on the two-step authentication.
Don’ts
§ Share sensitive information with ANYONE.
§ Use similar passwords for multiple accounts.
§ Click on links or attachments in unsolicited email.
Your safety and security is as much the company’s responsibility as your own; so it's most important to be safe and responsible online. For more details on how to remain safe online, click here.
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