Online sellers given fraud alert
78271
People selling items over the internet or through newspaper adverts are warned of a sophisticated fraudulent payment scam.
360010
A service is accused of $200 million in false charges for dishonest online sellers and telemarketers.
288348
Italian authorities are bringing charges in a scam involving fraudulent e-mail to bank customers.
95477
(InfoWorld) - Santa Claus may take online orders this year, but the Grinches will also be on the Internet. Holiday shopping online is expected toÂ reach new peaksÂ this year, and with the surge comes concern over the safety of transactions, according to technology services company EDS and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), both of which have issued guidelines for Web shoppers. U.S. shoppers are expected to buy about 25 percent of their holiday goods online this year, with a typical shopper spending nearly $800, according to the National Retail Federation. But various vendors and consumer groups have issued warnings for online shoppers because a likelihood of fraud accompanies the increase of buying online. Internet-related fraud cost an estimated $340 million last year, the FTC said. EDS and the FTC cautioned that online shoppers should: -- Know your retailer. Stick with reputable businesses with contact numbers and physical addresses. Some Web sites display seals that vouch for their security, but these can also be faked. -- Use secure Web sites. Sites that use encryption to protect data should display "https://" rather than "http://" in the address bar. Secure sites should also display a padlock symbol to show that the Web site has a secure, encrypted connection. EDS advises against sending a retailer more information than they need to complete a purchase. -- Be aware of phishing e-mail. Most people have received fraudulent e-mail asking for personal information. Never send information and never click on links in such e-mails, which are likely to be directed to look-alike Web sites designed to harvest identity and financial details. It's safe to type a Web site address into a browser. Reputable businesses do not ask for information through e-mails. -- Review privacy and security policies. Most companies will tell you what information they collect and how they use it. Also, foreign Web sites may be bound by different laws for how they can handle your personal information. -- Use antivirus and firewall software. -- Check your credit report and credit card balances regularly. The FTC Web site has a page devoted to holiday shopping tips, including those for online shoppers. Â
268148
By Christopher S. Rugaber Associated Press  WASHINGTON -- Scams playing off the well-known brand names of online retailers such as Amazon.com and Overstock.com are among the latest get-rich-quick schemes bilking consumers of millions of dollars, federal regulators warned Tuesday.
428153
Internet payment system Worldpay is under attack from hackers delaying transaction times for hundreds of online retailers.
187938
Beware of any e-mail claiming to come from "frauddep@ftc.gov"--it carries a nasty payload.
139169
Detectives warn internet auction bidders to be wary of how they pay after a teenage fraudster conned customers.
417838
New features designed to alert users if the site they are visiting is legitimate or a phishing site.
551564
The just-launched Priceprotectr.com sends e-mail alerts when prices drop. You may be eligible for a price protection refund.
672889
Online shopping engines may help you find multiple price offers, but our investigation finds that unscrupulous stores are gaming their systems.
461508
(InfoWorld) - Three U.S. agencies have initiated more than 100 law enforcement actions against bogus business-opportunity peddlers and work-at-home scams, including several Internet-based schemes. The Project FAL$E HOPE$ crackdown, announced Tuesday but in operation for most of the year, targeted scammers in 11 states, including California, Texas, Florida and Maryland. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Justice (DOJ) and Postal Inspection Service worked with law enforcement agencies in those states to take action against the alleged fraudsters. Project FAL$E HOPE$ includes new cases announced Tuesday, developments in existing cases, criminal convictions, and state actions. The project also announced new education material for advertising sales staff, aimed at helping screen ads for bogus business opportunities. Included in nine cases the FTC announced Tuesday: -- The Results Group: Working out of what the FTC called a boiler room in Phoenix, the operation charged between $99 and $599 to build and host Web sites "affiliated" with the sites of large retailers such as Amazon.comÂ and Overstock.com, the FTC said. Consumers could supposedly make money when those retailers paid commissions for sales made through the consumersâ Web sites. In fact, the large retailers were unaware of any such affiliation, and consumers made no money. The FTC accused the operation of falsely representing that purchasers would receive substantial income as well as substantial assistance from an expert staff, and using false and misleading statements to encourage consumers to buy the business opportunity. -- Money Making Secret: These defendants promised "Top 12 Programs to Make Big Money!" and charged consumers between $47 and $129 to access a "members only" Web site with "money-making secrets," the FTC said. The Internet-based programs that were offered varied, including online survey programs, free government grant money programs, mystery shopper programs, and online data-entry programs. However, these programs did not exist, or did not offer easy money with little time or effort, as promised, the FTC said. The FTC's complaint charges the defendants with making false and unsubstantiated earnings claims. The FTC also has new guidance for publishers, offering them help to screen out deceptive ads for business opportunities. The alert, "Ads for Business Opportunities: How to Detect Deception," suggests advertising sales staff to give an extra look at ads that make claims such as: "No risk! Guaranteed" "Quick and Easy!" "Earn $2,000 a month." The FTC alert warns that legitimate business ventures involve risks, and start-up businesses require a lot of work to get off the ground. The law requires earnings claims in ads be accompanied by the number and percentage of previous purchasers who achieved the income, the FTC said.
115072
The FDIC on Friday issued an alert about an increasingly common e-mail scam designed to steal personal information and money from millions of unwary consumers.
466855
New service helps companies thwart online scams.
530930
The FBI today warned that a variety of online scams asking users to send money for the victims of the recent tsunami disaster have popped up online in the past week.
252960
The latest version of the Opera Web browser incorporates a technology that warns users when they visit a fraudulent site.
120056
'Trust and safety' board in emergency shutdown Hackers brazenly posted sensitive information including home addresses and phone numbers for 1,200 eBay users to an official online forum dedicated to fraud prevention on the auction site.â¦