I have learned a lot about scam and internet crime the past few years, and within that past couple of weeks I have had the opportunity to reflect on how it has affected me. The class that I am taking, Principles of Computer Security, has really opened my eyes as to how violent and illegal spam truly is. Yes, spam is indeed a nuisance, but it is a very serious crime. Many people are scammed of their hard earned money every year because of spam, scams, vishing, phishing, and other methods of internet crime. I personally have had my share of internet scams, and believe me- it is no joke.
There are many instances that I have faced and have watched others face in the past. By telling others my stories, I think it could help show others not to fall into the tricks of these scammers.
The first time I can ever remember being scammed online was when I was in middle school. I begged my parents for a new digital camera. I think it only had 2.4 Mp, but that was a nice camera back then. I had heard everyone talking about Ebay and how great it was, so I wanted to get my camera there. After researching about digital camera's for weeks, I finally decided to bid on the camera I wanted. The camera cost around 200$, and after I sent the money, I never received it. A few weeks later I noticed that the guy who once had 100% positive ratings now had 80 negative reviews since I purchased the camera. He not only scammed me, but many others. I reported him to Ebay, and in result his account was closed. Talk about a slap on the wrist! - By the way, my dad will never buy anything online ever again. Which goes to show how these scams can really tarnish the way individuals look at technology.
Then, when I was in high school, I tried selling my laptop online. Using the site "Craigslist.com" which is pretty similar to Ebay.com, I posted my laptop on sale for about $300. I was ecstatic when I was emailed back with a man stating something along the lines of " I would love to buy your laptop immediately! However I am staying in Indonesia with family right now because my house in Texas burned down last week... I will send you $800 to cover shipping fee's. Please have it shipped ASAP." Now, I would immediately delete an email as such but back then I didn't think anything of it. He told me he was going to send the money through PayPal and I agreed. I received an email stating " Your account has been credited $800" - Directly from PayPal or so I thought. I clicked on the link, and everything looked as if it were the real PayPal page. After seeing that the money was in my account, I began to pack up the laptop. But for some reason, it was my gut instinct to go directly to PayPal.com and check my account there. To my surprise, there was no evidence of any transaction. The link I was sent was indeed fictitious, and I was getting scammed! I was lucky enough to double check what was going on but when many people read emails directly from a company they automatically believe it is true.
It is obvious that I am not the only one who has been scammed. It is definitely a growing problem in today's technological society. A television show on ABC, called What Would You Do shows a popular Nigerian type of scam email. Watch this video below :
There are so many ways to get scammed, and opportunities may seem legit. But I have learned to be very careful when it comes to online activity. If your giving up money, be sure to make sure you won't regret it later.
Also, this video from Youtube was provided by the instructor, and it was very useful when studying this topic.
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