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The Internet Crime Complaint Center or IC3, a partnership of the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, in 2007 released its latest annual report on victims’ complaints received and referred to law enforcement.
Among the results:
“Internet auction fraud was by far the most reported offense, comprising 44.9% of referred complaints. Non-delivered merchandise and/or payment accounted for 19.0% of complaints. Check fraud made up 4.9% of complaints. Credit/debit card fraud, computer fraud, confidence fraud, and financial institutions fraud round out the top seven categories of complaints referred to law enforcement during the year.”
For the full report, go to the IC3 webpage on statistics.
Listed below are tips to protect yourself and your family from various forms of Internet fraud:
Avoiding Internet Auction Fraud
- Understand as much as possible about how the auction works, what your obligations are as a buyer, and what the seller’s obligations are before you bid.
- Find out what actions the web site/company takes if a problem occurs and consider insuring the transaction and shipment.
- Learn as much as possible about the seller, especially if the only information you have is an e-mail address. If it is a business, check the Better Business Bureau where the seller/business is located.
- Examine the feedback on the seller.
- Determine what method of payment the seller is asking from the buyer and where he/she is asking to send payment.
- If a problem occurs with the auction transaction, it could be much more difficult if the seller is located outside the US because of the difference in laws.
- Ask the seller about when delivery can be expected and if there is a problem with the merchandise is it covered by a warranty or can you exchange it.
- Find out if shipping and delivery are included in the auction price or are additional costs so there are no unexpected costs.
- There should be no reason to give out your social security number or drivers license number to the seller.
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Avoiding Non-Delivery of Merchandise
- Make sure you are purchasing merchandise from a reputable source.
- Do your homework on the individual or company to ensure that they are legitimate.
- Try to obtain a physical address rather than merely a post office box and a phone number, call the seller to see if the number is correct and working.
- Send them e-mail to see if they have an active e-mail address and be wary of sellers who use free e-mail services where a credit card wasn’t required to open the account.
- Consider not purchasing from sellers who won’t provide you with this type of information.
- Check with the Better Business Bureau from the seller’s area.
- Check out other web sites regarding this person/company.
- Don’t judge a person/company by their web site.
- Be cautious when responding to special offers (especially through unsolicited e-mail).
- Be cautious when dealing with individuals/companies from outside your own country.
- Inquire about returns and warranties.
- The safest way to purchase items via the Internet is by credit card because you can often dispute the charges if something is wrong.
- Make sure the transaction is secure when you electronically send your credit card numbers.
- Consider utilizing an escrow or alternate payment service.
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Avoiding Credit Card Fraud
- Don’t give out your credit card number(s) online unless the site is a secure and reputable site. Sometimes a tiny icon of a padlock appears to symbolize a higher level of security to transmit data. This icon is not a guarantee of a secure site, but might provide you some assurance.
- Don’t trust a site just because it claims to be secure.
- Before using the site, check out the security/encryption software it uses.
- Make sure you are purchasing merchandise from a reputable source.
- Do your homework on the individual or company to ensure that they are legitimate.
- Try to obtain a physical address rather than merely a post office box and a phone number, call the seller to see if the number is correct and working.
- Send them e-mail to see if they have an active e-mail address and be wary of sellers who use free e-mail services where a credit card wasn’t required to open the account.
- Consider not purchasing from sellers who won’t provide you with this type of information.
- Check with the Better Business Bureau from the seller’s area.
- Check out other web sites regarding this person/company.
- Don’t judge a person/company by their web site.
- Be cautious when responding to special offers (especially through unsolicited e-mail).
- Be cautious when dealing with individuals/companies from outside your own country.
- The safest way to purchase items via the Internet is by credit card because you can often dispute the charges if something is wrong.
- Make sure the transaction is secure when you electronically send your credit card numbers.
- You should also keep a list of all your credit cards and account information along with the card issuer’s contact information. If anything looks suspicious or you lose your credit card(s) you should contact the card issuer immediately.
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Avoiding Investment Fraud
- Don’t invest in anything based on appearances. Just because an individual or company has a flashy web site doesn’t mean it is legitimate. Web sites can be created in just a few days. After a short period of taking money, a site can vanish without a trace.
- Don’t invest in anything you are not absolutely sure about. Do your homework on the investment to ensure that it is legitimate.
- Do your homework on the individual or company to ensure that they are legitimate.
- Check out other web sites regarding this person/company.
- Don’t judge a person/company by their web site.
- Be cautious when responding to special investment offers (especially through unsolicited e-mail).
- Be cautious when dealing with individuals/companies from outside your own country.
- Inquire about all the terms and conditions.
- If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
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Avoiding Business Fraud
- Purchase merchandise from reputable dealers or establishments.
- Try to obtain a physical address rather than merely a post office box and a phone number, call the seller to see if the number is correct and working.
- Send them e-mail to see if they have an active e-mail address and be wary of those that utilize free e-mail services where a credit card wasn’t required to open the account.
- Consider not purchasing from sellers who won’t provide you with this type of information.
- Purchase merchandise directly from the individual/company that holds the trademark, copyright, or patent.
- Beware when responding to e-mail that may not have been sent by a reputable company.
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Avoiding the Nigerian Letter Scam
- Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as Nigerian or foreign government officials asking for your help in placing large sums of money in overseas bank accounts.
- Do not believe the promise of large sums of money for your cooperation.
- Guard your account information carefully.The Nigerian Letter Scam is described on the Common Fraud Schemes webpage.
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Internet Fraud: How to Avoid Internet Investment Scams
The Internet serves as an excellent tool for investors, allowing them to easily and inexpensively research investment opportunities. But the Internet is also an excellent tool for fraudsters. That’s why you should always think twice before you invest your money in any opportunity you learn about through the Internet.
This alert tells you how to spot different types of Internet fraud, what the SEC is doing to fight Internet investment scams, and how to use the Internet to invest wisely.
Navigating the Frontier: Where the Frauds Are
The Internet allows individuals or companies to communicate with a large audience without spending a lot of time, effort, or money. Anyone can reach tens of thousands of people by building an Internet web site, posting a message on an online bulletin board, entering a discussion in a live “chat” room, or sending mass e-mails. It’s easy for fraudsters to make their messages look real and credible. But it’s nearly impossible for investors to tell the difference between fact and fiction.
Online Investment Newsletters
Hundreds of online investment newsletters have appeared on the Internet in recent years. Many offer investors seemingly unbiased information free of charge about featured companies or recommending “stock picks of the month.” While legitimate online newsletters can help investors gather valuable information, some online newsletters are tools for fraud.
Some companies pay the people who write online newsletters cash or securities to “tout” or recommend their stocks. While this isn’t illegal, the federal securities laws require the newsletters to disclose who paid them, the amount, and the type of payment. But many fraudsters fail to do so. Instead, they’ll lie about the payments they received, their independence, their so-called research, and their track records. Their newsletters masquerade as sources of unbiased information, when in fact they stand to profit handsomely if they convince investors to buy or sell particular stocks.
Some online newsletters falsely claim to independently research the stocks they profile. Others spread false information or promote worthless stocks. The most notorious sometimes “scalp” the stocks they hype, driving up the price of the stock with their baseless recommendations and then selling their own holdings at high prices and high profits. To learn how to separate the good from the bad, read our tips for checking out newsletters.
Bulletin Boards
Online bulletin boards – whether newsgroups, usenet, or web-based bulletin boards – have become an increasingly popular forum for investors to share information. Bulletin boards typically feature “threads” made up of numerous messages on various investment opportunities.
While some messages may be true, many turn out to be bogus – or even scams. Fraudsters often pump up a company or pretend to reveal “inside” information about upcoming announcements, new products, or lucrative contracts.
Also, you never know for certain who you’re dealing with – or whether they’re credible – because many bulletin boards allow users to hide their identity behind multiple aliases. People claiming to be unbiased observers who’ve carefully researched the company may actually be company insiders, large shareholders, or paid promoters. A single person can easily create the illusion of widespread interest in a small, thinly-traded stock by posting a series of messages under various aliases.
E-mail Spams
Because “spam” – junk e-mail – is so cheap and easy to create, fraudsters increasingly use it to find investors for bogus investment schemes or to spread false information about a company. Spam allows the unscrupulous to target many more potential investors than cold calling or mass mailing. Using a bulk e-mail program, spammers can send personalized messages to thousands and even millions of Internet users at a time.
How to Use the Internet to Invest Wisely
If you want to invest wisely and steer clear of frauds, you must get the facts. Never, ever, make an investment based solely on what you read in an online newsletter or bulletin board posting, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isn’t well known. And don’t even think about investing on your own in small companies that don’t file regular reports with the SEC, unless you are willing to investigate each company thoroughly and to check the truth of every statement about the company. For instance, you’ll need to:
- get financial statements from the company and be able to analyze them;
- verify the claims about new product developments or lucrative contracts;
- call every supplier or customer of the company and ask if they really do business with the company; and
- check out the people running the company and find out if they’ve ever made money for investors before.
And it doesn’t stop there. For a more detailed list of questions you’ll need to ask – and have answered – read Ask Questions. And always watch out for tell-tale signs of fraud.
Here’s how you can use the internet to help you invest wisely:
Start With the SEC’s EDGAR Database
The federal securities laws require many public companies to register with the SEC and file annual reports containing audited financial statements. For example, the following companies must file reports with the SEC:
- All U.S. companies with more than 500 investors and $10 million in net assets; and
- All companies that list their securities on The Nasdaq Stock Market or a major national stock exchange such as the New York Stock Exchange.
Anyone can access and download these reports from the SEC’s EDGAR database for free. Before you invest in a company, check to see whether it’s registered with the SEC and read its reports.
But some companies don’t have to register their securities or file reports on EDGAR. For example, companies raising
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