| Today, millions of people around the world use the | | | | sending numerous messages to Internet users. The |
| Internet on a daily basis. This is due to a wide variety | | | | messages are intended to lure users to verify their |
| of useful information available in many websites and | | | | accounts and ask their victims to input the password |
| the convenience it offers to web users. However, it | | | | for the account. Afterwords, the victim's accounts will |
| also resulted in many Internet users being victimized by | | | | then be used to do different scamming schemes and |
| different online scams. These internet scams have | | | | even distribute numerous spam mails. |
| enormously emerged and has already alarmed the | | | | Lottery Scams |
| authorities. | | | | Lottery scams are e-mails containing messages |
| The objective of these scams is to steal money and | | | | informing you that you have won millions of dollars |
| property. It even caused death to unsuspecting victims. | | | | from an international lottery. The message usually |
| Based on reports from authorities, there are millions of | | | | informs you that your e-mail address was included |
| dollars of lost money due to these crimes, and | | | | among the winners through a draw. In order to |
| because of this, many police agencies have organized | | | | convince the prospect victims, they would attach links |
| special units to combat these kinds of crime. | | | | of real lottery sites or even attach fake documents or |
| Scammers use different schemes and strategies in | | | | ads which claim that the lottery was endorsed by |
| order to do their criminal acts. Here are some of the | | | | popular companies like Microsoft. |
| many kinds of Internet scams spreading online. | | | | If the scammers were able to convince its victims, |
| Phishing Scams | | | | they would then ask important information and then |
| E-mail is one of the most used features of the Internet | | | | request the victim to send some money to cover up |
| that provides users a convenient means of | | | | taxes, processing fees, and other similar charges in |
| communication. However, e-mails have become a | | | | order to get the prize when in reality there is no such |
| great way for scammers to easily lure money or | | | | prize and everything is bogus. |
| personal information from innocent individuals. | | | | 419 or Nigerian Scams |
| Phishing is one of the scams which use e-mails as a | | | | The 419 scam or popularly known as the Nigerian |
| way to fool people. These e-mail scams usually | | | | scam is one of the most widespread and very popular |
| consist of letters pretending that they are from a bank | | | | among other Internet scams. This also uses e-mails in |
| or an online financial group, providing a link and | | | | attempting to steal people's money. The e-mail |
| convinces you to visit that certain website and | | | | basically contains different versions of stories such as |
| requests you to fill up a form that is aimed to collect | | | | an alleged political leader having been ousted from |
| sensitive personal information such as bank accounts, | | | | power and having millions of funds which he needs to |
| credit card information, passwords and many other | | | | transfer to other countries. He will then offer you a |
| information. | | | | share of the funds by helping him. Another example is |
| These sites are "bogus", in the sense that it looks like a | | | | an alleged rich person seriously ill and needs someone |
| legitimate company since it resembles the looks of | | | | to help in managing the funds for charity purposes. The |
| some of the known legitimate companies offering the | | | | huge amount of money involved usually attracts |
| same services posted by the scammers. In reality, | | | | unsuspecting victims to believe the scam. |
| e-mails from these sites are merely to tempt their | | | | Similar to other e-mail scams, the criminal would then |
| prospect victims to provide their personal data and | | | | request for money to be utilized for processing the |
| once they succeed, they will use the submitted | | | | transfer of funds to the victim's account. Some |
| information to steal money from the victim's bank | | | | scammers even request their prospect victim to travel |
| accounts or purchase items through the credit card | | | | abroad to speed up the transfer of funds but the |
| provided by the victim. | | | | victims will then be abducted and would only be |
| Phishing was first known during the 1990's when an | | | | released after paying a large amount of money. |
| attacker has attempted to steal AOL accounts by | | | | |