Bizsafe Internet Fraud Factsheet
Bizsafe Internet Fraud Factsheet
Bizsafe Internet Fraud Factsheet
Internet Fraud
The term ‘internet fraud’ refers to any type of fraud
scheme that uses email, web sites, chat rooms or
message boards to present fraudulent solicitations to
prospective victims, to conduct fraudulent transactions
or to transmit the proceeds of fraud to financial
institutions or to others connected with the scheme.
Internet fraud may include spam, scams, spyware, identity theft,
phishing or internet banking fraud.
Spam Scams
Spam is a generic term used to describe The power of the internet and email
electronic ‘junk mail’ or unwanted messages communication has made it all too easy
sent to your email account or mobile phone. for email scams to flourish. These schemes
These messages vary, but are essentially often arrive uninvited by email. Many are
commercial and often annoying in their sheer related to the well documented Nigerian
volume. They may try to persuade you to Scam or Lotto Scams and use similar
buy a product or service, or visit a website tactics in one form or another.
where you can make purchases; or they may
attempt to trick you into divulging your bank More information about scams is available
account or credit card details. from the Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission (ACCC) SCAMwatch
More information about spam is available website (www.scamwatch.gov.au)
from the Australian Communications and the Australian Securities and
and Media Authority (ACMA) website Investments Commission FIDO website
(www.acma.gov.au). (www.fido.gov.au).
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Internet Fraud Bizsafety
Suggestions to prevent
Spyware Phishing
loss from Online Fraud
Spyware is generally considered to be Phishing is a technique used to gain •• Consideration of using a low-limit
software that is secretly installed on a personal information for the purpose of separate credit card for online
computer and takes things from it without identity theft. Phishing involves using a purchases to minimise the potential
the permission or knowledge of the user. form of spam to fraudulently gain access loss if things go wrong.
Spyware may take personal information, to people’s online banking details. As well
•• Limiting the amount of personal
business information, bandwidth or as targeting online banking customers,
information you allow to be ‘the
processing capacity and secretly gives phishing emails may target online auction
public domain’ i.e.: social networking
it to someone else. It is recognised sites or other online payment facilities.
sites that could be used to assist in
as a growing problem. Typically, a phishing email will ask an
identity theft.
online banking customer to follow a link
More information about taking care of in order to update personal bank account •• Keeping anti-virus and firewall
spyware is available from the Department details. If the link is followed the victim software up to date.
of Broadband, Communication, and downloads a program which captures
the Digital Economy (DBCDE) website his or her banking login details and sends
(http://www.Dbcde.gov.au). them to a third party.
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