Protect Yourself from Internet Fraud

According to the FBI.gov website, fraudsters target Senior citizens because they are most likely to own their own home, have excellent credit and a “nest egg.”  Senior citizens that were growing up in the 1930s to the 1950s and were raised to be polite are also traits that con artists look for, because they know that it’s difficult for polite Senior citizens to just say no, to just hang up the phone, and to just not respond to the con artist’s emails.  Check out the following website for more details about how you can protect yourself from common fraud schemes or print the webpage for your favorite Senior Citizen;   http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud/seniors

When you are on the Internet, you do need to be skeptical of everything.  Fraudsters can impersonate your friends, your family, your business contacts, and they can impersonate YOU on the Internet.  It’s important to never share your personal information about banking, money, when you will be alone at your home or business, how much money you have, or anything that con artists would be interested in.

Don’t post your schedule, location, and personal details on Social Networking websites (FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter) and only allow your family, friends, and business contacts that you personally have met to be connected as a friend on your social networking profile.  If you are using the Internet to promote your business you must make time to learn about Internet security and practice safety measures all the time.

Don’t send money over the Internet unless you are absolutely positive that you are safe and knowledgeable about all of your actions on the Internet.  If you are not feeling safe and don’t totally understand what you are doing on the Internet – go to the place of business in person to conduct your business.  If someone on the Internet promises you anything that sounds too good to be true, it probably is a scam.

Learn more about Internet fraud from the following website:  http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud/internet_fraud