Beware of Fake Websites | LMG Security Checklist

In today’s world, the applications of fraud are becoming more and more prevalent and are being carried out in a variety of new ways. In the last year alone, there have been three large cases of fraud that have involved the theft and misuse of people’s information and money.

In October of last year, it was found that there was scandalous activity occurring at the University of South Carolina that had been ongoing for at least 18 years. Advisors at the university had allegedly been placing student-athletes in artificial classes that yielded artificial grades that would keep them eligible to continue to participate in NCAA athletics.

Next, in May of this year, it was found that four well-known cancer charities were a scam that was run by a single family in various states around the country. The family accepted 187 million dollars worth of donations and only donated about 3 percent of it to actual cancer patients. The rest of the money was spent on personal luxuries such as jet skis, luxury cruises, dating website subscriptions, and college tuition for various family members.

Most recently, it was found that multiple healthcare providers were caught billing Medicare for patient care and equipment that was either never provided or was unnecessary. In some cases Medicare patient numbers were taken from the homeless and used to bill Medicare. These various scammers billed Medicare for 712 million dollars.

In the realm of cybersecurity, fraudulent activity is carried out in a slightly different way. It is common for scammers to make fake websites that look real, in order to trick you into entering your password or financial information. Here are three ways in which you can avoid fraudulent web activity and keep yourself safe.

Avoid Suspicious Websites

In many cases, fraudulent websites employ poor design qualities and multiple pop-up windows. (Jimmy Fallon gives a great example of this. Watch from 1:14-1:41) If a website like this comes up, don’t click anything and leave the page. If you have been to a particular website before, assure that the web address is exactly what it should be. Check your browser’s history to guarantee that you are going to the right place.

Don’t Click on Suspicious Links

If you receive a link via e-mail, it is very likely that there is some sort of scam or virus attached to the link. Even if the e-mail is coming from someone that you trust, check in with that person to make sure that they actually sent you that link.

Links that contain “bit.ly” offer a preview function. If you add a “+” to the end of the link in question and enter it into your browser, you will be allowed a preview of the web page. If the preview shows that there is nothing contained, it is likely that the link only serves to allow access to your computer’s operating system for either phishing or virus-related purposes.

 Monitor Your Accounts

 If you suspect that you may have clicked on a bad link and may be a victim of fraudulent activity, monitor any accounts that you have access to on your computer. In many cases, credit card numbers and passwords are taken off of the computer’s hard drive. If you see any abnormal activities on any of these accounts, report the activity to the proper authority as soon as possible.