INTERNET SCAMS
1. Fake or "Rogue" Anti-virus software
We've all seen the pop-ups: "Your computer is infected! Get help now!" If you've ever clicked through such an ad (really, a hijacking), you know that the price for freedom can be $20 or $30 a month. At first, the ads were clunky and the threats idle. But now, many pop-ups are perfect replicas of windows you would see from Windows or a legitimate antivirus/antispyware product. Some sites actually employ so-called ransomware, which disables your computer until you pay up or disinfect it with a strong antivirus/antispyware product. That's why consumers forked over hundreds of millions of dollars to fake antivirus distributors in 2009, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Your best bet? Make a plan now. This is one scam that just about anyone can fall for. The best protection of all is to back up all your important files, so the day your computer is hacked, your digital life won't be on the line. A second computer or laptop is often your best help when disaster strikes. Many viruses/spyware disable Internet access, so you'll need a second computer to research your infection and download disinfectant software. Have a flash drive nearby, so you can move the inoculation from one computer to the other.
If you are not currently running antivirus and antispyware software you need to get some installed right away. There are many good products out there, just remember, no one product will protect you from everything.
2. Facebook Impersonation
Facebook is no longer a Web site - it's a full-fledged platform, rapidly approaching the scale of the Internet itselt. Many young users spend more time on Facebook than on e-mail, and actually use Facebook as their e-mail service. That means scammers are now crawling all over the service, since they always go where the people go. There are hundreds of Facebook scams, such as phishing e-mails, Trojan horse infections, misleading advertisements and so on.
But the crime you should most worry about is Facebook impersonation. A criminal who hacks into your Facebook account can learn a staggering amount of information about you. Worse yet, he or she can gain trusted access to friends and family. We've seen plenty of stories that show Facebook friends can easily be tricked into sending money in response to believable pleas for help.
For this reason, it's time to upgrade your Facebook password. Treat it like an online banking site, because it's not a stretch to say that a criminal who hacks your Facebook account is only one small step away from stealing your money. ("Hello, First National Bank, I've lost my password. My high school mascot is the Owl and my mother's maiden name is Smith. Can you please reset my password?)
3. Becoming a Bot
You may not know it, but your computer might be a criminal. Botnets - armies of hijacked home computers that send out spam or commit other crimes - remain the biggest headache for security professionals. The various botnets ebb and flow in size, but at any given time, tens of millions of computers on the Web are under the influence of a criminal. No one thinks it's their computer, of course, but look at the odds. If one estimate claiming 100 million infections is accurate, then about one out of every 20 computers in the world is infected. In other works, someone in your extended family is aiding and abetting a spammer.
How can this be? Victims typically don't notice the criminal activity. Cyberthieves can easily use your machine without leaving a trace or slowing down your computer. They do not deposit e-mails in your sent items folder. Instead of sending one million e-mails from your machine, they send one e-mail every hour from one millions infected machines.
Any honest antivirus/antispyware company will tell you that there is so much new malicious software created every day that the good guys simply can't keep up. The Web is jammed full of e-mails and Web sites that can turn your home or business computer into a bot. Your computer could easily be safe today but at risk tomorrow. That's why it's so important to keep your computer's security tools up to date. But you shouldn't assume that this will keep you 100 percent safe. Avoid the Web's seedier side, and don't let the kids download illegal music or games, a main source of infections. And always keep on the lookout for strange programs, files or surprising hiccups from your machine.
4. The fakosphere
The Web is now littered with fake blogs, fake ads, fake products, fake work-at-home jobs and fake Web sites saying how great all these things are. You'll even see ads for such products on all major media Web sites, as they've become the Web's answer to late-night infomercials.
The FTC recently issued an opinion clarifying that fake testimonials on Web sites are a violation of federal law, and some of the over-the-top ads have disappeared. But the fakosphere is far from dead.
I know it's tempting to obey one rule that will make your tummy flat, make your bank account fat or make your cancer disappear. But you can't believe everything you read online. Never purchase a product without searching Google using this search term: "(product name) scam" and "(product name) complaint". Then, spend some time familiarizing yourself with the reputation of the item you are about to buy and the price you are about to pay. One or two complaints might say one thing, but 500 complaints should certainly scream at you that you should put that credit card back in your wallet.