Internet Fraud

Internet fraud and identity theft is on the rise in the world. As computers become more integral to our daily lives, there is more opportunity that an individual may be tricked into, or accidentally, release sensitive data about themselves to malicious individuals. Anyone is vulnerable to these Internet scams.

The Office of Information Technology recognizes this and wishes to protect Susquehanna students, faculty and staff from falling victim to Internet fraud. Education on the topic of Internet fraud and personal identity theft is critical to raising self-awareness when performing any Internet transaction. Supplied below are links to informational Web sites that will help you better understand and recognize Internet fraud.

General information:

• Identity Theft Resource Center - A nonprofit organization dedicated to the understanding and prevention of identity theft.
• FraudWatch International - Information regarding fraudulent phishing scams, lottery scams and Nigerian 419 scams.
• Federal Trade Commission - FTC Web site: What to do if you think you are a victim of Internet Fraud or identity theft.
• US Securities and Exchange Commission: Internet Fraud - Another governmental source of what to watch out for with fraud.
• Internet-Fraud.com - A private service Web site dedicated to explaining and exposing recent Internet Frauds.

Tools:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 Phishing Filter - For Phishing Filter options, including turning it on or off, reporting a suspicious site to Microsoft, and more, open Internet Explorer 7, go to the Tools menu in the upper-right toolbar, and select Phishing Filter.
• Mozilla Firefox Phishing Filter - Make sure you have the latest version of Firefox. The filter to check for suspected fake sites (phishing) is turned on by default. For configuration options, go to the Tools menu, select Options... and then click the "Security" button.
• McAfee SiteAdvisor - Need to check the safety level of a Web site? Plug the URL in at McAfee SiteAdvisor and get a report.