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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-11-20, Page 23They can be intriguing, invitingand promising of a better life, butodds are they’re actually clever,annoying and financially- devastating: scams. Scams hit the mainstream years ago with the term “junk mail” which has become a phrase used every day in households all over the world, then phone scams began and now in 2008, internet scams have come to the forefront. Spam e-mails and junk folders filling up more each day have become commonplace. Phishing scams are the newest breed of junk mail. These scams literally attempt to entice someone into revealing more and more information as correspondence goes on, offering up believable e-mails from “your bank” or “your credit card company” or an update on a “package you may have sent.” Phishing is at the forefront of identity theft and the main component in a wave of crime that has become a major problem in Canada, to the tune of $500 million annually. “People want to believe the best, so if you understand that you cannot win a major foreign lottery, for example, that is a big step in the right direction,” says RCMP Corporal Louis Robertson. “Personal information is more valuable than narcotics now. That’s the way it is.” Robertson has worked at Phonebusters, a site dedicated to identifying and protecting Canadians from all types of scams run by the RCMP, OPP and the Government of Canada, for three years and says the key for everyone is to be vigilant. “Be vigilant, be careful, because why would someone be sending you an e-mail asking you for personal information or asking you to send money in advance?” he says. “Do not send personal information, do not send money, do not send your name. Not only will they ask you for money, but they’ll also ask you for personal information, or vice versa.” Robertson has two words of advice to anyone opening their inbox who has any doubt that an e-mail might be legitimate, “Delete it.” He says that while internet providers, e-mail servers and Phonebusters itself all have sections dedicated to reporting spam e-mails and phishing scams, just deleting a questionable e-mail is the best course of action to take. If e-mails happen to look legitimate, there are, however, some indicators people can use to check into it themselves. “You can often recognize a phishing scam or a spam e-mail just by the e-mail address. Large companies have their own web address and their own e-mail server. They will never go through Google or Yahoo or MSN. They have their own servers that no one can copy,” he says. “That’s a good tip, a good indicator before you even open the e- mail. If you do open an e-mail, phishing scams will often have grammatical errors and spelling mistakes and they often won’t be personalized.” If an e-mail seems legitimate, but there is doubt, Robertson suggests taking the time to do some research. He says that bad decisions can often come out of rushed situations. “Instead of giving information to someone over the internet, someone you don’t know, why not pick up the phone and call your bank, forexample. Do not call the number thee-mail provides you, open thephonebook and call the real bankand ask them,” he says. “Banks and credit card companieswill never communicate with you through e-mail. I doubt they would even have your home e-mail address.” Robertson says e-mail scams that immediately ask for money or information may be easy to spot, however, modern phishing scams don’t ask many, if any, questions through the first e-mail. There can often be a file to download, or a link provided that could be just the beginning. “E-mails that draw you in, that aren’t asking for anything are meant to be bait,” he says. “That’s why they call it phishing. They basically throw a line at you and if you chew on that line, they’ll continue to pull you in one foot at a time.” Internet providers are on the frontlines of the war against spam, ensuring most of it doesn’t even make it to a customer’s junk folder. Mark Steffen, Network Administrator with a local internet provider says any e-mail that comes through his company runs through several tests before it is declared fit to make its way to a customer’s inbox. The terms blacklist, greylist and whitelist are used in the industry, Steffen says, to calculate the degree of danger an e-mail might pose. “The first level of defense is a kind of blacklist system. Every e-mail that comes in gets scanned to track the path it has taken and we see if it has been through any servers that have been flagged,” he says. “The second step is greylisting. This is when we get an e-mail from a server we have never seen before. We test it out by making it wait five minutes and ask it to retry.” The third line of defense, Steffen says, is to manually go through an e- mail that has gotten through the initial filters for tell-tale signs of a spam e-mail. The term whitelist, he says is used for an e-mail address that has been e- mailed by the owner of the account. The address is automatically flagged as good when the account’s owner has e-mailed it. In addition to the spam filters, there is also a very sophisticated anti-virus system that is updated every hour. If an e-mail is found to have a virus, it is instantly disposed of, Steffen says. He does describe the struggle between internet providers and those sending spam as an arms race. He likened it to the early days of radar detection, which was closely- followed by radar detectors, which was then followed by radar detector detectors, saying it’s a constant battle of one-upmanship. Phone scams, which are still very active in the community Robertson says, may not be the wave of the future, but they still work. He says phone scams are cyclical and they will work for a certain period of time, then disappear, only to re-appear a few years later and work all over again. The key to phone scams, again, Robertson says, is to be vigilant and to do research. “Take a time-out. What exactly is this call about? If they ask you to send money through a money-gram or through Western Union, it is often a scam,” he says. “As a Canadian consumer, you can search the company on the internet. You can take the time and research it, you can call your car dealership if you are told your vehicle’s warranty has expired and ask about the status of your warranty before you commit.” In addition to asking about financial details or details about your home or your vehicle, Robertson says, a popular scam is called “The Grandparent Scam.” This scam is the phone call- version of phishing. Someone calls a senior citizen in a panic over a possible arrest, car accident or sudden injury. Whoever is calling will be panicked and won’t let the person they’ve called respond until the constant probe for information is co-operated with. If the subject on the phone keeps yelling and screaming, the hopes are that the senior citizen will volunteer information, asking, “Is this [insert name]?” and when the person on the phone discovers a name they can use, they continue to probe, using that name. Robertson tells people to take their time and to not be drawn into a panic as well. While many scams can be obvious and well-reported in the media, as Robertson said, Canadians fall victim to the tune of $500 million annually. He says once people discover they’ve fallen victim, they may be shy and less-inclined to report the crime because they’re embarrassed. “The first thing to do is call your financial institution right away and let them know that you’ve fallen victim to a scam,” Robertson says. “It is sad, but it’s a $500 million-a- year business and we get thousands of calls and tens of thousands of e- mails each month. It’s important that people know they are not alone. Other consumers are falling for scams, so don’t be afraid. Don’t be shy.” Robertson says that once a possible victimization of a scam has been reported to financial institutions and the police, it is easier to go back and defend yourself. He says that if personal information or credit card information has been obtained, it’s possible it won’t be used for months or even years later. For more information on tips to keep yourself from being scammed and more information on the latest scams circulating visit www.phonebusters.com THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2008. PAGE 23. Vigilance The key to avoiding getting scammed is to stay vigilant and to not jump to any conclusions. Often, a scam will target something you do use, like a bank, your car warranty or a package you may have sent. Before panicking and paying out to someone on the phone, or who has e-mailed you, take the time to call your bank or car dealership to see if the call or e-mail is legitimate or not. (MS photo) Phishing scams newest breed of junk mail CONSIGNMENT AUCTION SALE At Brindley Auction, 37110 Dungannon Road, Dungannon, Ontario N0M 1R0 (10 miles North of Goderich, 90 miles NE of Sarnia) Selling over 100 tractors and equipment. There will be 2 rings selling 6 wagon loads of new and used parts and unreserved line of equipment. Selling at approx. 9:00 a.m. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22ND AT 9:00 A.M. Owner or auctioneer not responsible for any accidents, loss or injury day of sale. Lunch booth. TERMS: Cash or cheque with proper I.D. “NO BUYERS PREMIUM” For more info please call BRINDLEY AUCTION SERVICE 519-529-7625 By Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen WHAT IS ASTHMA? Asthma is a chronic breathing disorder affecting both children and adults. It is characterized by: • Asthma symptoms can include cough, severe shortness of breath, chest tightness and wheeze and usually occur after exposure toe allergens, viral infections and exercise, or exposure to irritants such as fumes and cigarette smoke. • Exposure can cause inflammation of the airway wall and abnormal narrowing of the airways, which may lead to asthma symptoms • An asthma attack can be frightening with feelings of suffocation, breathlessness and loss of control and can be potentially life threatening • Asthma can develop at any age, but is common in childhood.