Auction Fraud, Phishing, Other Cybercrimes Hook New York Consumers
‘Look Before You Click,’ Says Consumer Reports WebWatch in New Campaign
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YONKERS, NY, March 20, 2008 --To help fight cybercriminals where they are most aggressive – at the Internet port on your home PC – Consumer Reports WebWatch, the Internet integrity division of Consumers Union, today launches a long-term, multimedia education campaign for New York consumers: “Look Before You Click.”
With grant support from the New York State Attorney General’s office, Consumer Reports WebWatch in the coming months will distribute and publicize fact sheets in English and Spanish on how to get the most out of online auctions and avoid fraud; how to prevent personal information from being “phished;” how to safeguard home computers, and more. We’ll be investigating online auctions, and we’ll even have some interactive surprises everyone can join in. You can find the full version of this news release, with more details on our 10 tips to improve your home PC’s safety, here.
The Changing Face of Online Crime
Cybercrime ranges from serious incidents of identity theft to costly inconveniences, such as receiving merchandise from an auction that turns out to be of questionable quality. It can be hard for consumers to keep track of the latest trend in scams.
Did You Know?
• Criminals are now targeting electronic devices outside your home computer in an attempt to contaminate it with “badware,” which can be used to steal your personal information or attach your computer to a secret network, called a “botnet,” used to commit major crimes. Recently, badware code found its way into digital picture frames sold by major big-box and discount stores.
• More than one million business computer systems in the U.S. have been contaminated by badware used to create botnets. Law enforcement officials don’t know how many home PCs have been infected.
• A recent wave of counterfeit memory sticks, Millions of people have lost precious photos to these counterfeit Sony and other types of memory sticks, not to mention millions of dollars. WebWatch starts its “Look Before You Click” campaign with these 10 general tips for staying safe online. If you have a computer at home, whether it’s a laptop or desktop, you should follow these steps:
1. Activate protection. If your operating system (for instance, Microsoft Windows, either XP or Vista) has a firewall, spam blocker, or other built-in security application, make sure it's turned on.
2. Update and renew. Set your operating system and security software to update automatically.
3. Upgrade your operating system and browser. PC users should be running XP with service pack 2 at the least.
4. Take advantage of security features offered by Internet service providers (ISPs) and others. The EarthLink Toolbar, for example, incorporates a scam and popup blocker, spyware scan, and home page protection.
5. Shut off your computer when you’re not using it. If you don’t use your computer consistently, however, make sure it’s turned on for a period of a few hours, once a week, to allow security system and operating system updates to download and take effect.
6. Guard personal information. Never respond to e-mail requesting your passwords, user names, Social Security number, or other personal information, no matter how official it looks.
7. Consider a Mac. Although Mac owners face the same problems with spam and phishing as Windows users, they have far less to fear from viruses and spyware.
8. Watch what you download. The myriad of free utilities, games, and other software on the Internet can be useful, but many are laden with viruses and spyware.
9. Download Avast! Antivirus software for free. If you’re having difficulty using the antivirus software that came with your machine, try Alwil’s Avast!, free for home and non-commercial use at Avast.com.
10. Run two antispyware programs. Spyware is so insidious, and sometimes difficult to detect, that it warrants double protection. Set the better of the two programs to block spyware in real time.
Read more on Consumer Reports WebWatch’s “Look Before You Click” campaign to help New York State consumers to combat online fraud here.
About Consumer Reports WebWatch
Consumer Reports WebWatch is the Internet integrity division of Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports Magazine, the Consumer Reports on Health and Money Adviser newsletters, BestBuyDrugs.org, and a variety of sites advocating consumer rights in the marketplace. We research and investigate Web sites on behalf of consumers, and we advocate for consumer-focused Internet policy and governance. Consumer Reports WebWatch accepts no advertising. Consumer Reports WebWatch is a member of the W3C consortium for developing Internet standards; the Internet Society, a grass-roots group focused on Internet policy; and is an at-large structure (ALS) in the user community of ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigning Names and Numbers. WebWatch also serves as an unpaid special adviser to StopBadware.org, a "Neighborhood Watch" initiative led by Harvard University's Berkman Center and the Oxford Internet Institute devoted to helping Internet users avoid downloading malicious spyware, adware and malware programs. With the Center for Media and Democracy, WebWatch in 2008 launched FrontGroups.org, dedicated to exposing the online work of third-party groups that appear to represent one agenda while pursuing another.
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