Internet Security Fraud Popular Method For Distributing Fraudulent Messages

indiana.edu, Feb 10, 2005

There are many types of fraud, and email is an inexpensive and popular method for distributing fraudulent messages to potential victims. According to the US Secret Service, millions of dollars are lost annually to fraud. It is estimated that US consumers lost $2.4 billion as a result of online fraud in 2003, with most fraud carried out by people obtaining access to account numbers and passwords. Never respond to any message that asks you to send cash or personal information. You won't receive any riches, and in fact you could get into legal trouble if you become involved with one of these scams.

Some of the most common fraudulent messages are non-monetary hoaxes or non-monetary chain mail. Treat these as you would spam; for more information, see the Knowledge Base document What should I do when I get spam email? However, if you receive an email message that appears to involve money, or asks for personal information, do not respond.

Below you'll find information about various types of email fraud. If you receive any of these types of messages, you can report them to the Federal Trade Commission. To do so, forward the message with full headers . If a message of this type appears to come from a valid Indiana University address, forward it with full headers to IU's Information Technology Policy Office (ITPO)