Online Scams Up 166 Percent

By Jason Lee Miller - Thu, 08/16/2007 - 5:22pm.

Okay, ladies, here's something you poke fun of the men with: While more men than women claim to be well-informed about online scams, more men have fallen victim to them than women.

This is according to Microsoft-sponsored survey conducted by Harris Interactive, which also revealed that one in five US adults have been on the receiving end of nefarious digital plots.

"We found that online men claim to be more informed of online fraud," said Adrienne Hall, senior director of the Trustworthy Computing Group at Microsoft. "47 percent of men said they are very knowledgeable or knowledgeable of online scams, compared with only 36 percent of women.

"However, despite claiming to be more knowledgeable, men are more likely than women to be victims of online crime. The survey found that 69 percent of women claimed they have never been a victim of an Internet scam, compared with just 63 percent of men."

Just add "I can't be phished" to "I don't need directions" and "I'll be back."

Hall said the number of unique phishing sites detected by the Anti-Phishing Working Group went up last year by 166 percent. In addition, this has gone far the beyond proof-of-concept games in the past – phishers are after your money for sure.

"In the past year," she said, "Microsoft has witnessed a shift in criminal behavior. Online criminals have been focused on finding vulnerabilities or causing mayhem in various ways, and have been motivated by personal interest as a hobby or for notoriety. We are seeing an increasing trend towards stealing people’s personal information and money."

Perhaps the most disturbing statistic though was that over half (58%) of those surveyed had little to no knowledge of current online threats and scams, despite that Americans lost $49.3 billion to identities thieves last year, and $5.2 billion to viruses.

Hall recommends a new creed for everyone to remember and pass along: Think first, click later.

News Tags: Harris, Scams, Harris Interactive, Online, Phishing, Microsoft

About the author:
Jason Lee Miller is a WebProNews editor and writer covering business and technology.

Comments

Submitted by Guest on Sat, 06/21/2008 - 3:48pm.

Dr. Bobby Beasley

Is this guy a scammer...he is trying to buy my car? let me konw

Thanks,

Submitted by mike dioguardi (WPN reader) on Mon, 02/25/2008 - 1:40am.

this is another example of the woodstock pharmacy scam.

Hello ,
Thanks for your mail, I am indeed serious about renting this unit and will be willing to offer you two month rent to start with plus the security deposit in order to secure this unit prior to my arrival. You can send me the lease application, to enable me to review it ahead of time.
I am a Pharmacist by profession and I am currently working with Woodstock Pharmacy, Woodstock OX20 1TF, UK. I will be in the states for the next one year and during my stay I will be working with the United States Implants & orthopedic Agency on a private research work.

I have a financier that is based in the States and he will be handling the rent deposit payment on my behalf, I will instruct him to send you a Certified Check for this as soon as you give me the go ahead to make out payment to you.Due to the limited time that we have before our arrival,we are making arrangements with a furniture company to supply the home with furnitures,so we will need you to provide us with the measurements of the living room and bedroom so that we can send it to the furniture company so that they can supply the unit with furniture that will fit in well. Also send me a picture viewing the living room and the bed rooms.

As regards the lease agreement, I want you to send it to me for my review. I will eventually have it filled and signed on my arrival in your place as I am of the opinion that such documents are best filled and signed physically. We can start the lease by 1st of March and I will be doing a one year lease. You can prepare the lease in my name.

Let me know how to move ahead as I intend to complete this deal before I move in a couple of days. I want all the arrangement to be solidified so I settle in comfortably when I arrive. I will let you know the exact date as soon as I get a booking on a flight to the states.

I will look forward to your e mail with the required information.

Thanks and sincere regards from me and my precious family. I await your urgent response.

Dr. Bobby
+447024021843

> Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2008 21:28:34 -0600
> From: mjdio@comcast.net
> To: skye.bobby@hotmail.com
> Subject: Re: $1600 / 3br - Green Hills, Vanderbilt
>
> Dr. Bob,
> It is actually a house but none the less we can do a deal if you like.
> The rent is $1600 and the deposit is the same $1600. If you never had
> utility accounts set up before in Nashville I think they require a
> little deposit but I really do not know the amount. It is a simple
> matter of calling the Nashville gas company, Nashville electric and
> Nashville water to open these accounts. We will help you as much as
> possible in this process.
> Are you in town at present? Call me on my cell at 406-4828 for an
> appointment to see the property, tomorrow if you wish. I am sorry I did
> not have time to take photographs however the house is a simple cottage
> style '70s ranch but beautifully decorated and restored inside. It
> should afford you much more room and privacy than an apartment and still
> be close enough to Vanderbilt. It has initiated a great deal of
> interest so I hope you can contact me soon.
> Mike Dioguardi
>
> Dr. Bobby Beasley wrote:
> > Hello,
> > I saw your apartment advertised on craigslist.com and am
> > interested in renting it. I will be signing a one year lease for it
> > and want to know the requirements for renting it. i.e
> >
> > Monthly Fees:
> > Security Deposit
> > Electricity/Utility Bills
> >
> > I will be doing a one year research on pharmacy work while in the
> > states and will be staying with my wife and daughter .I will
> > appreciate it if i hear from you in time as i will want to conclude
> > the rental process as soon as possible.
> >
> > Thank you.
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > Helping your favorite cause is as easy as instant messaging. You IM,
> > we give. Learn more.
> > <http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Home/?source=text_hotmail_join>

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