If you read our blog regularly, you must have noticed that we have been concentrating on security a lot more lately. It is true, that the most common problem people refer to our Computer Repair and IT Support London Service with is virus/malware infections and Internet frauds. Unfortunately, quite often people start seeking for help when it is too late. To prevent this from happening we are going to dedicate quite a number of our future articles to Internet frauds. Stay tuned.
“Oh, I have an antivirus on my computer. Surely I’ll be safe.”
Just like a bulletproof jacket won’t save you if you decide to lick a main power outlet, antivirus provides little protection in cases where common sense is required. You won’t believe the number of people who come to us saying “Somebody phoned me introducing themselves as BT technical staff/ Microsoft Engineer/ you name it, asking for my email account details/ banking details/ remote access to my computer. And I gave it to them”. Don’t be fooled!
Lately, cybercriminals are actively exploiting upcoming series of Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in order to steal people’s money and private information. Kaspersky Lab reports that majority of those scammers employ spamming techniques and fake retail services.
The “classical” story goes like this. You receive an email notifying that you have won a ticket. They kindly ask you to fill a form, providing your personal details. Send you a fake ticket and suggest you to bring your friend or book the flight and accommodation offering a generous discount.
Another effective tool for stealing money you work sweat and blood for – fake web-retail services. You get on a website that looks very much like genuine ticket retailer. Check the address bar that shows https:// in front of the web-address, indicating the presence of SSL certificate, and proceed with buying the ticket. What actually happens is that creator of a fake web-retail service purchases the cheapest SSL certificate, that allows protected data transmission between your computer and recipient. However, it does not change the fact that there is a “bad guy” on the other end.
Experts from Kaspersky Labs recommend avoiding purchasing the tickets from sources provided to you via email advertisement or banners on the Internet. And if you struggle to restrain from sudden purchases, keep a separate bank card with limited funds stored on that card for Internet purchases. If somebody manages to intercept you card details, you will not suffer serious financial losses.