Figures prove the need for online caution

The dangers of internet scams are highlighted by the disturbing 207% rise in the number of facility takeover frauds recorded by Members of CIFAS - the UK's Fraud Prevention Service.

This involves fraudsters gaining access to, and using, accounts held by innocent victims.

While this rise is not solely the result of internet scams, in recent research carried out by Get Safe Online, 23% of UK internet users said that they, or their close friends and family, had been a victim of phishing scams in the past 12 month period, compared with just 8% the year before.

Richard Hurley, CIFAS Communications Manager, comments: "Although the internet has revolutionised our lives, it has also provided new avenues for fraudsters to exploit.

"The immediacy and informality of the internet make it easier for us to drop our guard, and forget that - all too often - the sender may not be who he or she is supposed to be. In the High Street, we would be understandably suspicious if someone we did not know asked us for help to withdraw funds from abroad or told us that we had won a prize draw that we had not entered. Unfortunately, when online, that natural prudence can easily be forgotten."

Common email scams

Three of the most common types of e-mail scam are:

Phishing - where victims receive an email purporting to be from their bank, a company they do business with, a Government Department or social networking site. This email will then direct the victim to a mocked up website that asks them to provide personal data such as account details, policy number, passwords and credit card numbers.

Bogus foreign lotteries - where the victim is told that they have won a foreign lottery but that they need to send money to cover administrative or tax costs in order to claim the winnings. Often, personal details will also be requested.

Advance fee scams - where someone asks the victim to help transfer a large sum of money out of a foreign country in return for a share of the spoils. In reality this is merely a precursor to emptying the victim's own bank account.

Richard Hurley comments: "It may seem obvious, but the rise in this type of fraud shows that people are just not being cautious enough, especially when they are online. If an offer of vast winnings seems too good to be true, it's probably because it is! You can only win a competition or lottery if you have entered it. Unfortunately, fraudsters know exactly which ‘buttons' to press. So whenever you receive an email seeking personal details, or offering unexpected financial rewards, be particularly on your guard."

Some tips to avoid becoming a victim of an internet scam:

1 - Always check the reliability of emails you receive. If it appears to be from your bank or an online shop, do not respond to the email but contact the company it claims to be from (for example by telephone or through the ‘contact us' page on their website) to check.

2 - Ensure that you have proper internet and computer security programmes installed and that you keep them regularly updated. A ‘saving' made by not renewing subscriptions could lead to a much bigger loss.

3 - When checking links sent to you in emails, you may notice (in the bottom left hand corner of your monitor) an address appearing whenever you run your computer mouse's terminal over a link in an email. Here, if you are dealing with a phishing email, it is quite likely that you will notice how the address in the bottom left-hand corner does not tally with the company name or address that the email is supposed to be from.

4 - Avoid using public wi-fi zones to carry out internet shopping or banking.

5 - Regularly change all passwords, and make sure that passwords are sufficiently complex by using a mix of letters, numbers and cases.

6 - Look for web addresses that begin with ‘https' or have a padlock symbol displayed next to them. These are two common ways that you can be sure that the site you are using is secure.

7 - If using social networking sites, remember not to reveal personal details on your page. Your friends will already know what they need to know (e.g. date of birth, address or telephone number).

8 - When receiving emails containing offers, news, requests for security checks etc, remember: if in doubt, chuck it out. Companies will not mind you contacting them to verify that a communication was genuine.