On the nature of the infrastructure
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creedo299
Epochal Historian
http://channels.netscape.com/tech/package.jsp?floc=hp-tos-feat-b-01&name=fte/jurydutyscam/jurydutyscam
Beware! A Cunning New ID Theft Scam
Most of us take those summons for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty that a new and ominous kind of scam has surfaced. Fall for it and your identity could be stolen, reports CBS News.
In this con, someone calls pretending to be a court official who threateningly says a warrant has been issued for your arrest because you didn't show up for jury duty. The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Sometimes the crooks even ask for credit card numbers. Give out any of this information and bingo! Your identity just got stolen.
The scam has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma, Illinois and Colorado.
Martha Rhynes, a real jury coordinator in Grayson County, Okla., told KXII-TV, "We never call and ask anyone for their Social Security number, date of birth, or other personal information." Instead, the courts communicate with potential jurors only by mail and never by phone, including people who don't show up. Most states don't even have jurors' phone numbers until they have actually been chosen to sit on a jury. And even then, such information is sealed with the court records. Rhynes's advice? Never give out personal information over the phone to anyone.
"This (scam) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try and bully people into giving information by pretending they're with the court system," Scott Holste, spokesman for the Missouri Attorney General's Office, told the Missourian News.
The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their Web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.
Beware! A Cunning New ID Theft Scam
Most of us take those summons for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty that a new and ominous kind of scam has surfaced. Fall for it and your identity could be stolen, reports CBS News.
In this con, someone calls pretending to be a court official who threateningly says a warrant has been issued for your arrest because you didn't show up for jury duty. The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Sometimes the crooks even ask for credit card numbers. Give out any of this information and bingo! Your identity just got stolen.
The scam has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma, Illinois and Colorado.
Martha Rhynes, a real jury coordinator in Grayson County, Okla., told KXII-TV, "We never call and ask anyone for their Social Security number, date of birth, or other personal information." Instead, the courts communicate with potential jurors only by mail and never by phone, including people who don't show up. Most states don't even have jurors' phone numbers until they have actually been chosen to sit on a jury. And even then, such information is sealed with the court records. Rhynes's advice? Never give out personal information over the phone to anyone.
"This (scam) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try and bully people into giving information by pretending they're with the court system," Scott Holste, spokesman for the Missouri Attorney General's Office, told the Missourian News.
The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their Web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.
creedo299
Epochal Historian
http://channels.netscape.com/tech/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/7000/20051207/1430000005.htm
PC users more vulnerable despite growing scams: survey
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Nearly one of four US Internet users are targeted in "phishing" schemes aimed at stealing personal or financial information, and many fall victim to the scams, a survey showed.
The second annual Online Safety Study conducted by America Online and the National Cyber Security Alliance also found more than two-thirds of consumers who received such scam e-mails believed they were from legitimate companies, putting them at high risk.
The survey found 18 percent of those surveyed said a friend or family member had already fallen victim to an online identity theft scam.
And only 42 percent were familiar with the term "phishing," which refers to e-mails appearing to come from legitimate firms like banks or credit card companies seeking personal information like credit card numbers or passwords.
Yet, despite these findings, the large majority of users (83 percent) believed that they were safe from online threats.
"There is a major perception gap: Even though most consumers think they are protected, this study shows the opposite," said Ron Teixeira, executive director, National Cyber Security Alliance.
"Far too many people still lack the three fundamental protections they need to stay safe online -- current anti-virus software, spyware protection, and a secure firewall."
The study found that 81 percent of home PCs lack at least one of the three key protections. More than half of the participants either had no anti-virus protection or had not updated it within the last week; 44 percent did not have a properly-configured firewall; and 38 percent lacked spyware protection.
The study suggested PC users have lax security even though 74 percent use their computers for sensitive transactions such as banking, stock trading, or reviewing personal medical information, and two-thirds keep sensitive information on their home computers like personal correspondence, resumes or professional records.
"Phishers are getting better at tricking consumers into revealing their bank account and financial information, and most Americans can't tell the difference between real e-mails and the growing flood of scams that lead to fraud and identity theft," said Tatiana Platt, chief trust officer for AOL.
"Consumers need to be aware of the risk, and they need to use critical protections like anti-virus software, spyware protection, and a firewall to help protect them from online threats."
The study is described as the largest of its kind, and included sending technical experts into hundreds of homes to examine personal computers for known security risks and threats.
The study also looked at the growing use of wireless networks -- used by 26 percent of US homes -- and found nearly half failed to encrypt their connection, a safety precaution needed to protect against intruders.
12/07/2005 14:27
© Copyright Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of Agence France-Presse.
PC users more vulnerable despite growing scams: survey
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Nearly one of four US Internet users are targeted in "phishing" schemes aimed at stealing personal or financial information, and many fall victim to the scams, a survey showed.
The second annual Online Safety Study conducted by America Online and the National Cyber Security Alliance also found more than two-thirds of consumers who received such scam e-mails believed they were from legitimate companies, putting them at high risk.
The survey found 18 percent of those surveyed said a friend or family member had already fallen victim to an online identity theft scam.
And only 42 percent were familiar with the term "phishing," which refers to e-mails appearing to come from legitimate firms like banks or credit card companies seeking personal information like credit card numbers or passwords.
Yet, despite these findings, the large majority of users (83 percent) believed that they were safe from online threats.
"There is a major perception gap: Even though most consumers think they are protected, this study shows the opposite," said Ron Teixeira, executive director, National Cyber Security Alliance.
"Far too many people still lack the three fundamental protections they need to stay safe online -- current anti-virus software, spyware protection, and a secure firewall."
The study found that 81 percent of home PCs lack at least one of the three key protections. More than half of the participants either had no anti-virus protection or had not updated it within the last week; 44 percent did not have a properly-configured firewall; and 38 percent lacked spyware protection.
The study suggested PC users have lax security even though 74 percent use their computers for sensitive transactions such as banking, stock trading, or reviewing personal medical information, and two-thirds keep sensitive information on their home computers like personal correspondence, resumes or professional records.
"Phishers are getting better at tricking consumers into revealing their bank account and financial information, and most Americans can't tell the difference between real e-mails and the growing flood of scams that lead to fraud and identity theft," said Tatiana Platt, chief trust officer for AOL.
"Consumers need to be aware of the risk, and they need to use critical protections like anti-virus software, spyware protection, and a firewall to help protect them from online threats."
The study is described as the largest of its kind, and included sending technical experts into hundreds of homes to examine personal computers for known security risks and threats.
The study also looked at the growing use of wireless networks -- used by 26 percent of US homes -- and found nearly half failed to encrypt their connection, a safety precaution needed to protect against intruders.
12/07/2005 14:27
© Copyright Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of Agence France-Presse.