From breaking into our bank accounts to bypassing our passwords, we are becoming increasingly familiar with the unpleasant effects of identity theft. In the USA alone, losses of about $1 billion are registered every year relating to identity theft. There are ways of keeping on top of your personal online security and it is important to keep up to date…
Posing as someone else is so much easier in this age of high technology with computers and mobile devices used to intimidate or dupe victims. This is known as cyberbullying and while adults have their fair share, children are the ones who are most likely to feel the brunt of this harmful hectoring. It is estimated that a staggering 75…
There is a telephone version of email scams or phishing as it is called and this one is vising, the art of tricking someone to reveal personal information by thieves who can use it for their own gain. Personal identity theft has found its way onto the internet and is a cybercrime, but criminals have found other ways of stealing…
The financial services industry, more than any other non-governmental organisation or regulatory body, relies on the highest standards of identity verification; both to protect its customers from criminal activity, and itself from potentially fatal litigation, financial and law enforcement penalties. For this reason, banks and other financial institutions are leading exponents of new technologies embracing online ID checks. This situation…
Cybercrime, in the form of high-profile ransomware campaigns, have grown significantly in the last year, according to The National Crime Agency UK (NCA). The NCA says this type of online crime continues to rise in complexity and scales, affecting essential services, businesses and individuals. This is costing the UK billions of pounds every year, causing damage and even posing a…
Fake virus alerts are especially nasty forms of adware because they play on our fears and by exploiting these fears, put us at greater risk of what we were worried about in the first place. Fake virus alerts are paid for by cybercriminals who hope you will take the bait and download their malware onto your computer. Where you can…
If you play a popular online game, keep your wits about you because you could be fair game for fraudsters who take advantage of the fact that this cyber sector is a money mecca ripe for the picking. When your online gaming account is compromised it is critical that you act fast. If you suspect that all’s not right, don’t…
HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) warns tax payers to stay vigilant when it comes to fake emails and phone texts claiming that you are in receipt of a refund. This type of crime surges at the end of the tax year when the HMRC is actually processing tax refunds. Fraudsters will take advantage of this and will compose fake…
Cyberbullying has caused devastation to people’s lives and there have even been cases of teen suicide due to this form of online harassment. Unfortunately, cyberbullying is not a crime in itself and is not covered by law in the UK. This can be frustrating to those of us who have had our children or even ourselves falling victim to cyberbullying.…
New types of fraud are emerging all the time and it is not surprising that most of it is conducted online. Cyber criminals are able to be not seen or heard and can carry on their illegal operations undetected. Law enforcers in most countries have special teams dedicated to cybercrime, but it is a long and tedious process and is…
