Protecting Yourself
Online, Scams,
Cons, and Rip-offs
Chief Darin DeHaan
Oregon Police Department
• Credit Card Companies Hacked?
• Banking Information Hacked?
• Scams?
How is your Credit Card
Information Stolen?
WOW 20%
of $5.7
Million
found in a
trunk!!
Are you kidding
me? Yaser
Arafat’s wife has
my email
address!
Woohoo!
What is she
thinking?
• Form of Communication: Email, Letter, or via phone.
• Communication will likely tell you have won a large
some of money from the Canadian lottery and you can
collect for a small processing fee.
Canadian Lottery Scam
In this situation they are offering you
a check for twice the amount owed
for “taxes” all you have to do is send
them a money order or Western
Union the money to get your
Millions!
• This scam usually starts with some type of
communication usually email or a chat room contact. The
offender will begin a “courting” relationship with the
target and will layout an elaborate “poor me” story in
which they seek your “help” a.k.a your money.
POSTAL MONEY ORDERS
• The scam then entails sending you several thousand
dollars of fraudulent Postal Money Orders. The con will
request the money be sent via Western Union to them and
you can keep a small percentage of the funds.
• PROBLEM: Your bank finds out the Money Orders are
no good. Oops you now owe your bank some serious
$$$$$$
POSTAL MONEY ORDERS
BUSINESS CHECKS
• You receive a letter and a check for various
claims, insurance, law suit, recalled
merchandise. You just send them back a percent
after you have cashed the check.
• The issue with this is it’s often within the
continental U.S. and at one time the business
was legit but their financial identity was stolen
and bogus checks were created on their
accounts.
• To many to mention but here are a few.
• Chain letters. Spam
• Ebay, Credit Card, Pay Pal and other account
verification emails. Phishing
• Hit man Email: Kidnapping or Murder threatened
and a ransom is demanded.
EMAIL SCAMS
Oregon Police Department:
Military Sharp Shooter Email
Used a name of an actual green beret sharp shooter.
Threatened to kill someone unless a ransom was paid.
Attempted to set up a kidnapping by requesting foreign
travel. Even reserved a room for us.
EMAIL SCAMS
2011
• Within hours of Japan’s natural disasters their
were already hundreds of aide relief scams in
operation around the world!
TRAGIC EVENTS SCAMS
• You receive a call from a “family member” who is in jail in a
foreign country and needs $ bond money $ to return home!
• May not sound like your “grand child”.
• “Jail official” will verify the need for bond to release your
relative from custody.
• Always check to make sure before you send any money.
Phone Scams – The Jailor
• The number one way credit card information is being
stolen is through Point of Sale Intrusion.
• How does this happen?
POINT OF SALE INTRUSION
1. Most businesses are taking credit cards for transactions.
2. These credit cards are hooked up to a computer with internet access to
complete the transactions.
3. The problem is often these computers are not protected and are used by
employees to check email, Facebook, Myspace accounts etc.
4. With limited or no network security on these computers it is easy for a
hacker to enter the system to plant a virus.
5. The virus is stealing the credit card information from the local computer
while it transmits to the bank for credit approval.
Credit Card Transactions
Credit Card Skimmers
Hackers are applying for low end jobs to enter small businesses and
implant Keystroke Loggers onto their computers. This create an ongoing
text file of all of the information entered with the keyboard on the
computer. Software can be added in the background to email the text to the
hacker every few days.
Keystroke Loggers
Have you ever used a computer at a hotel in the business center?
Checked your email, Facebook, bank account etc..?
1) Don’t!
2) If you must make sure you do not have Windows save your
password.
3) The system may have a software or hardware key logger installed.
4) Clear internet history and if you can run a spyware program that
can be carried with you on a Flash drive!
• You get a call from “Ogle County Judicial Center” – Caller ID
• “You missed jury duty and now a warrant has been issued for
your arrest.
• “I can stop the warrant from being served if you place a $1.00
“bond” hold on your credit card. You will be issued a new
court date.
• 1st Can I verify your Date of Birth as __/__/__ they will know
it.
• 2nd Can I verify your Driver’s license number is D500……
• 3rd Can I verify your address is……
LETS BREAK IT DOWN
Jury Duty Scam
• How do they get the information?
• And what about that Caller ID?
How its done.
INTELIUS Search
Public DataBase!
Driver’s License Number
• Can give Date of Birth – If not the Date of Birth we can
get a day of birth based on “Happy Birthday Wishes”
• Can give Children’s names
• Can give mother’s names
• Can give father’s names
• Can give cell phone numbers
• Can give work information
Social Networking Sites
• The use of a portable computer to scan for Blue Tooth
Enabled Devices. The hacker then through brute force
password discovery programs will get your take control
of your Blue Tooth device. Can see and download
pictures, documents, personal information etc…
BLUEJACKING
• Turn off your Blue Tooth discovery mode on your phone
or laptop.
Defeating Bluejacking
• When it asks your mother’s maiden name?
• Where did you go to High School?
• What is your pet’s name?
What is your answer?
Security Questions
• If they ask you don’t answer truthfully. Just answer:
Something like What is your mother’s maiden name:
“WALLPAPER”
Correct response maybe
a lie!
• Current trend is to allow you to make up your own
questions that you can answer.
• How about: “Is your wife a terrible cook? Answer: “How
do you know my wife?”
• How about: “What is that awful smell?” Answer: “Must
have been the dog!”
• How about: Credit Card Company “I hope we have an
opportunity to reduce your interest rate today.” Answer:
“Thank you I appreciate you doing that for me.”
Security Questions
Virtual Credit Cards
WHAT YOU CAN DO
• Read the small print: Get all promises in
writing and read all paperwork before
paying any money or signing any contracts.
• Free means free: Throw out any offer that
says you have to pay to get a gift or for
something that’s called “free.” If something
is free or a gift, you shouldn’t have to pay for
it.
• Never give personal information over the phone.
• Even if they know a portion of your social
security number do not “confirm” the entire
number with them.
• Recognize who you do business with and tell
them you will call the number you have to verify
the legitimacy.
PHONE SCAMS
CREDIT COMPANIES
 Equifax:
To report fraud, call (800) 525-6285
 Experian
To report fraud, call (888) EXPERIAN or (888)
397-3742, fax to (800) 301-7196
 Trans Union
To report fraud, call (800) 680-7289 or write to
P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634.
LASTLY
IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE
>>>>>>>>>>>TRUE<<<<<<<<<<
ITS PROBABLY A SCAM!!!!!!!