When Don’t Fall For The Latest Internet Identity Theft Scam

Q: I use PayPal to accept credit cards for my online collection business. I recently received an email that my PayPal account will expire in five days if I do not click on the email link and provide them with my PayPal account information. Naturally confused, I decided not to give this information, and I am happy to say that my PayPal account did not expire. Was this a scam? - Brenda A. A: Thank you for your paranoia, Brenda, because you were about to be the victim of this week's scam, targeted at 35 million merchants and people who use HTTP: //PayPal.com as their online payment processor. The email you received did not come from PayPal, but from a malicious online person behind a false email address using the domain HTTP: //PayPal.com. You should understand that no reputable online company will ever ask you to provide your account information. Think about it. They already have this information. Why would they ask you to give it to them. As I use PayPal in many of my online activities, I, too, have received the email mentioned. Email first seeks to instill fear in you that your PayPal account will be closed if you do not provide personal information. You are then instructed to open an attachable file and enter your PayPal account details and other personal information that PayPal does not even need, including your social security number, test and savings account details, driver's license number, and other personal information which may. Can be used to clean up your PayPal account and possibly for identity theft. If you do not know PayPal, it is a very successful, web-based company (purchased by eBay in 2002) that many online retailers and eBay merchants use to receive electronic payments for everything from magazine subscriptions to consulting services in almost anywhere. Product sold on eBay. The attraction of PayPal is that it does not require the merchant to have a merchant bank account to process credit cards. Anyone with a verified email address and bank account can use PayPal and the service can be activated immediately after registration. When someone places an order on a website using PayPal to pay online, that customer is directed to http://PayPal.com to complete the payment process using a credit card or electronic check. The merchant can transfer the money collected from his PayPal account to his checking account whenever he wishes. With many major merchants making these transfers just once a week or more, their PayPal accounts are mature enough to be selected for those fraudulent and lacking the ethics needed to gain access. PayPal customer sheer number is one of the reasons why it has become a popular target for scam artists who try to steal personal information from individuals and businesses alike. Identify theft increasing. Thanks to the internet, stealing someone else's identity has never been easier. At any given time, there are any number of online thieves who use all forms of technical witchcraft to steal personal and business information from innocent souls, and often can access this information by simply asking someone to provide it through fraudulent means. The PayPal scam is the latest in a long line of complex attempts to steal personal information through online channels, Amazon, eBay, Dell Computer, and many more that have fallen victim to such crimes in recent years. Identity theft is the so-called “information crime,” which means that a criminal does not have to break into your house to blind you. If you have a bank account and a social security number, you are at risk of identity theft. Although most people are accustomed to identity theft, most businessmen and women do not think it is the case with them, at least at the professional level. Consider this: If a criminal could not read your business account number or your credit card number, we could steal a lot more from your business than just knocking on your door. Without internet, most of the business and identity theft is still the result of stolen wallets and dumpster diving. You need to keep a close eye on your business records and be very careful about what you throw away. Stop and think for a moment what the burglar might find in the garbage dump behind your office. There are many opportunities for a dumpster, from time to time, to have pieces of paper with your social security number, driver's license number, credit card number, old ATM cards, call cards, and other important business information such as bank statements, invoices. And purchase orders. A dumpster-diving thief can literally rob your business in an hour. Here are a few ways to protect your business and your identity. You Never provide your first name, surname, business name, email address, account passwords, credit card numbers, bank account details, PIN, social security number, or driver's license number. You change the passwords of your online account every 30 days. Believe it or not, a criminal who steals your personal information can guess the passwords for your online account in about two minutes. If your Charles Schwab online account password is your birthday or the name of your first pet or family member, rely on a criminal to steal this code sooner than you would say "Bill Gates." ú Never give out personal information by answering email or phone calls. Just because someone is calling and saying you are from Dunn & Bradstreet and you need to confirm your business information does not mean you are really from Dunn & Bradstreet. You Never give out your business credit card number in order to place an order on the caller without asking. If you are interested in what they are selling, find their number, check their company, and call them again to place an order. If you think you are a victim of self-esteem