Background
Purpose
This report summarizes
research to understand
perceptions of and exposure
to online fraud and scams.
This survey, conducted by
TRG, is an update to a similar
study that was conducted in
September 2012 by Ipsos.
Method
We conducted this survey among a
nationally representative sample of
Internet users 18–74 in the USA using
an email invitation and an online
survey.
We surveyed a total of 1,006 people
between August 26–29, 2014.
2
Background
The 2012 survey
asked Internet users
about their concerns
and experiences with
four major
categories of scams
and fraud.
In 2014, we asked
questions in the
same four categories
and refer to these in
this report as
traditional scams
and fraud.
We added two new
categories to this
year’s survey:
Facebook and phone
scams and fraud.
3
Three Main Areas of Inquiry
Concern
Experience
Steps Taken
4
5
Fewer traditional scams
New scams surface
6
Big jump in the number of people
protecting their mobile devices
On average, Internet users take three
steps to protect their mobile devices
7
Use the Internet differently
Connect using multiple devices—especially mobile
Higher engagement with social media
Have more experience of and concern
about scams and fraud
Be selective in how they protect
themselves
Strongly protect their mobile devices, but less diligent
about protecting their PCs or personal information
8
9
Concerns Are On the Rise
Change since 2012
75% are extremely or very concerned about traditional
scams and fraud
Q1. Rate your level of concern for the following online scam and fraud methods.
10
Concern Is Widespread
2014
Comparing 2014 with 2012
2 yr. p
54%
Fraudulent
websites
+11
47%
41%
Phishing
Spear
phishing
+13
44%
Major
event
scams
43%
+8
+9
+4
29%
+12
Fake
antivirus
alert
34%
Tech
support
+3
30%
Health
care
insurance
NA
33%
+9
29%
Live chat
+9
Impersonate
people you
know
Loan
intimidation
+5
+4
27%
33%
Facebook
friend added
a new photo
of you
Facebook
related
+7
25%
Traffic
ticket
31%
22%
Political
survey
+7
+5
Romance
+3
+1
-4
46%
+6
Unsecured
shopping
website
+4
32%
38%
34%
Email
shopping
Wrong
transaction
+8
31%
Overpayment
Travel
+5
+3
29%
Auction
NA
Work from
home
Lottery
+7
31%
39%
32%
+5
Advance
fee
+7
33%
Job hunter
Auto
Fraud
+7
Concern
+3
33%
NA
+3
32%
Postal,
reship
+4
11
12
13
40% fewer scams
-40%
14
Experiencing Traditional Scams Is Declining
2014
Comparing 2014 with 2022
2 yr. p
33%
-5
Fake
antivirus
alert
19%
Tech
support
-7
11%
-5
31%
Work from
home
-7
-7
Impersonate
people you
know
-4
8%
Romance
-7
17%
Loan
intimidation
8%
-1
-2
TRADITIONAL
SCAMS
Overpayment
-1
NA
14%
Email
shopping
11%
-5
Health
care
16%
-9
Spear
phishing
8%
-4
-6
10%
-6-6
0
Major
event
Lottery
-9
Fraudulent
websites
10%
Advance
fee
Postal,
reship
NA
-4
-3
35%
16%
Advance
fee/Job
FBI related
Traffic
ticket
-6
26%
Phishing
7%
Political
survey
-3
39%
13%
-2
7%
Live chat
-4
Facebook
friend added
a new photo
of you
30%
-8
17%
-5
15%
13%
Travel
-4
10%
Wrong
transaction
-5
NA
8%
Unsecured
shopping
website
-8
8%
Auction
Auto fraud
-7
-2
15
41% Experienced Scams on Facebook
Respondents reported
experiencing two scams
on average
Facebook scams are more
common among
respondents who use
mobile as their primary
way of connecting to the
web: 51% vs. 38%
24%
Find out how to
see who viewed
your profile
13%
Check if a friend
has deleted you
21%
See your total
profile
views/visitors
13%
Change your
Facebook color
21%
Free stuff
10%
Just changed my
Facebook theme.
It’s amazing!
16%
See your top 10
profile peekers
here!
8%
Check your status
update and get
a free Facebook
T-shirt
Q2. This is an additional list of scams or emails that may appear on Facebook or other popular social networking sites. All of these scams are designed to get
you to click on a link, at which point your computer would become compromised (infected with malware or viruses, your personal information put at risk,
etc.). Please select all you have personally encountered
16
60% Experienced Phone Scams
39%
Respondents reported
experiencing 1.4 phone
scams on average.
Robocall
11%
Caller ID
spoofing
28%
Telemarketing
7%
Ring tone
19%
Charity and
fundraising
6%
Family member
in distress
11%
SMS phishing
6%
Mobile phone
early upgrade
Q7. Please select all of the following telephone or mobile device scams you have personally encountered.
17
18
Laptop surpasses desktop for primary
Internet access
Smartphone ownership and usage
equal to desktop
S4. Which of the following devices to you currently own or use?
S9a. On what device(s) do you access the Internet?
S9b. Which of these devices do you use most often to access the Internet?
Laptop
78%
74%
43%
Desktop
72%
67%
38%
Smartphone
72%
63%
11%
Landline phone
60%
NA
NA
Tablet
54%
49%
8%
Game device
53%
26%
0%
Music device
51%
12%
0%
Feature phone
35%
5%
0%
eReader
25%
12%
0%
19
20
42% of PCs are attacked
daily or weekly.
PC
Mobile phone
Landline phone
Tablet
Daily
20%
22%
6% 12% 11%
11%
17%
Monthly
31%
21%
14%
9% 13% 11%
Weekly
15%
12%
49%
31%
15%
Several times a year
27%
52%
Never on this device
21
Q4. Overall, how would you grade your own actions to help safeguard yourself from online scams and fraud? A = excellent, B = above average, C = fair, D = below average, F = poor.
Change since 2012
Little
change
since 2012
in the
grades
Internet
users give
themselves
22
Change since 2012
It won’t
happen to
me
23
Change since 2012
Very little
change since
2012 in how
protected
people feel
24
25
Any Steps Taken
26
73% Took Steps to Protect Mobile Devices
2014
Comparing 2014 with 2012
2 yr. p
2.9
Average
number of
steps taken
on mobile
devices -0.3
49% I download 41% I keep the
apps only from
companies or apps
publishers I trust
programs and apps
running on my mobile
device up to date
39% I always
37% I have a
32% I keep my
31% I have
31% I set my
26% I manually
antivirus and
antispyware software
up to date
+15
Q12. Select all of the steps you take to help avoid becoming a victim of online scams or fraud.
antivirus and
antispyware software
on my mobile device
+15
use a PIN to lock my
mobile device
computer’s operating
system to install
updates automatically
+17
newer or the newest
operating system on
my mobile device
install updates on my
mobile device on a
regular basis
+9
27
97% Took Steps to Protect Computers
2014
Comparing 2014 with 2012
2 yr. p
4.9
Average
number of
steps taken
on computers
-0.2
79% Have
77% Keep my
69% I use
69% I have my
62% I keep the
59% I set my
42% I have a
36% I manually
antivirus and
antispyware software
on my computer
programs on my
computer up to date
+1
Q12. Select all of the steps you take to help avoid becoming a victim of online scams or fraud.
antivirus and
antispyware software
up to date
computers operating
system to install
updates automatically
+1
privacy and security
settings on my web
browser
computer’s firewall
turned on at all times
newer or the newest
operating system on
my computer
+2
install my computer’s
updates on a regular
basis
-1
28
98% Took Steps to Protect Personal Info
2014
Comparing 2014 with 2012
2 yr. p
7.6
76%
65%
62%
60%
59%
59%
57%
53%
53%
46%
46%
39%
38%
34%
I carefully
consider what
email messages I
open
Average
number of
steps taken
to protect
personal
info
-0
I use unique
passwords for all
(or at least
most) of the
websites I visit
+2
I carefully
consider who I
communicate
with in email, on
social media, in
instant
messaging, and
via text
I access my
email or conduct
other sensitive
transactions
only when on a
secure network
-1
Q12. Select all of the steps you take to help avoid becoming a victim of online scams or fraud.
I do business
online only with
reputable
companies and
organizations
I take time to
understand how
my information
will be used
before I decide
to buy a product
or use a service
online
-2
I use long
passwords or
phrases with
upper and
lowercase
letters, numbers,
symbols, etc.
I set my privacy
settings in social
media to
“private,” so only
friends in my
network can
view my
information
+1
I disclose only
that level of
personal data
needed to
accomplish the
task or
transaction at
hand
I change my
passwords
regularly or use
password
management
software
+3
I scrutinize links
in email, instant,
or text
messages, or on
social media
before I click
them
I regularly
manage my
social media
privacy settings
+2
I shop online
only when I
know a site uses
encryption for
transactions (i.e.,
it shows https, a
closed padlock,
or a green
address bar)
I take steps to
manage my
online
reputation
0
29
30
Millennials use newer devices more than Boomers
72%
43%
Landline phone
66%
87%
78%
24%
Desktop
71%
77%
47%
Feature phone
66%
29%
Laptop
Game device
Millennials
S4. Which of the following devices to you currently own or use?
90%
39%
Music device
63%
54%
30% 21%
Smartphone
eReader
44%
Tablet
Boomers
31
Millennials want to be
“always on.” Compared
to Boomers, the
average Millennial…
Device Used To Connect
Millennials
61%
S9a. On what device(s) do you access the Internet?
73%
85%
65%
Boomers
85%
41%
58%
39%
32
Compared to
Boomers, Millennials
are six times more
likely to use a
smartphone as their
primary access device
S9b. Which of these devices do you use most often to access the Internet?
Device Most Often Used to Connect
Millennials
52%
23%
50%
Boomers
38%
19%
3%
6%
8%
33
General
68%
66%
Phone
41%
Fee-Job
43%
34%
57%
25%
Facebook
43%
52%
52%
Shopping
70%
64%
Impersonation
34
Concern Is Higher Across Most Scams
General
57%
Fraudulent
Websites
49%
Phishing
49%
Shortened
URL
48%
Major
event
48%
Healthcare
43%
Spear
Phishing
Millennials 2014
p vs. Boomers
Fee, Job
47%
Work for
hire
44%
Job hunter
39%
Postal
forward
37%
Advance
fee
Shopping
53%
Unsecured
website
44%
Email
shopping
40%
Wrong
transactio
n
38%
Travel
38%
Auction
37%
Overpaym
ent
37%
Lottery
34%
Auto
Imperson
ation
48%
Fake AntiVirus
41%
Facebook
40%
Impersona
tion
39%
FBI
37%
Tech
support
37%
Live chat
34%
Traffic
33%
Loan
Q1. Rate your level of concern for the following online scam and fraud methods.
The figures in the lower right
corner compare 2014 survey
results with those in 2012. For
example, when compared to
2012, concern about
Fraudulent websites was up 2
percentage points.
31%
Romance
30%
Political
35
Scam Attempts
Frequency (daily/weekly)
48%
77% 72%
16% 8%
Desktop or
laptop
Mobile phone
Millennials
1%
1%
Tablet
38%
5% 19%
Landline
phone
Boomers
Q9. Do you feel you received the most scams or fraud attempts on your…?
34%
28%
10%
Desktop or
laptop
Mobile phone
Millennials
34%
29%
10%
Tablet
Landline
phone
Boomers
Q10. How frequently, if ever, do you experience any scam or fraud
attempts on your different devices? Please include scam attempts through
email, SMS, or calls.
36
Millennials See a Higher Number of Traditional Scams
Millennials 2014
Comparing 2014 with 2012
p vs. Boomers
32%
-7
Fake
antivirus
alert
21%
-3
14%
15%
Facebook
friend added
a new photo
of you
Impersonate
people you
know
+12
13%
Live chat
+10
0
-8
Loan
intimidation
+5
0
26%
Phishing
Romance
9%
Political
survey
38%
15%
Tech
support
-2
10%
FBI
15%
+5
+6
13%
7%
-1
13%
Health
care
Traffic
ticket
Fraudulent
websites
+8
Shortened
URL
+14
-1
11%
Major
event
+3
23%
Spear
phishing
+6
+5
-4
33%
Work from
home
-1
-7
28%
Job hunter
-7
+7
19%
Lottery
Advance
fee
+5
22%
33%
-4
18%
Postal,
reship
TRADITIONAL
SCAMS
Email
shopping
-1
-6
14%
Overpayment
+2
18%
+4
+5
14%
Wrong
transaction
+6
Unsecured
shopping
website
+8
13%
15%
Travel
-2
13%
Auction
Auto fraud
+7
+7
37
Millennials See A Higher Number Of Facebook Scams
Millennials 2014
Comparing 2014 with 2012
p vs. Boomers
58%
Facebook
Scams
37%
Find out how to see
who viewed your
profile
37%
See your total profile
views/visitors
24%
Check if a friend has
deleted you
23%
Change your
Facebook color
+21
+29
+17
36%
Robocall
61%
Phone
Scams
17%
Caller ID spoofing
+25
+12
+17
17%
Just changed my
Facebook theme. It’s
amazing!
+12
15%
Check your status
update and get a free
Facebook T-shirt
+11
17%
Charity and fundraising
21%
SMS phishing
0
14%
Ring tone
+6
29%
Free stuff
+26
31%
Telemarketing
-12
0
30%
See your top 10
profile peekers here!
-12
11%
Family member in
distress
+10
+13
12%
Mobile phone early
upgrade
+5
+7
38
After experiencing a scam or
fraud…
Facebook Usage After Scam Attempt
60%
48%
35%
27%
25%
5%
About the same
Less often
Millennials
Q13. You mentioned earlier you had encountered at least one Facebook-related scam or fraud attempt. Since
encountering the scam or fraud attempt(s), do you find yourself using Facebook
More often
Boomers
39
Millennials More Likely to Protect Mobile Devices
Millennials 2014
Comparing 2014 with 2012
p vs. Boomers
97%
Took steps
to protect
PCs
68% Have antivirus and
antispyware software on
my computer
68% Keep my antivirus
and antispyware software
up to date
63% I use privacy and
security settings on my web
browser
60% I have my computer’s
firewall turned on at all
times
59% I keep the programs
on my computer up to
date
50% I set my computers
operating system to install
updates automatically
44% I have a newer / the
newest operating system
on my computer
38% I manually install my
computer’s updates on a
regular basis
-4
84%
Took steps
to protect
-0.2
mobile
devices
-18
+2
+4
55% I download apps
only from companies or
apps publishers I trust
48% I keep the programs
and apps running on my
mobile device up to date
48% I always use a PIN to
lock my mobile device
40% I have a newer / the
newest operating system
on my mobile device
34% I manually install
updates on my mobile
device on a regular basis
32% I set my computers
operating system to install
updates automatically
31% I have antivirus and
antispyware software on
my mobile device
31% I keep my antivirus
and antispyware software
up to date
+15
Q12. Select all of the steps you take to help avoid becoming a victim of online scams or fraud.
+2
+2
+2
40
Boomers More Likely to Protect Personal Information
Millennials 2014
Comparing 2014 with 2012
p vs. Boomers
98%
Took steps
to protect
personal
information
63%
I carefully
consider what
email messages I
open
55%
I carefully
consider who I
communicate
with in email, on
social media, in
instant
messaging, and
via text
54%
I use long
passwords or
phrases with
upper and
lowercase
letters,numbers,
symbols, etc
50%
I set my privacy
settings in social
media to
“private,” so only
friends in my
network can
view my
information
49%
47%
47%
37%
35%
38%
I scrutinize links
in email, instant,
or text
messages, or on
social media
before I click
them
I disclose only
that level of
personal data
needed to
accomplish the
task or
transaction at
hand
I shop online
only when I
know a site uses
encryption for
transactions (i.e.,
it shows https, a
closed padlock,
or a green
address bar)
+10
47%
I do business
online only with
reputable
companies and
organizations
0
-25
46%
I access my
email or conduct
other sensitive
transactions
only when on a
secure network
-15
Q12. Select all of the steps you take to help avoid becoming a victim of online scams or fraud.
46%
I regularly
manage my
social media
privacy settings
+15
46%
I use unique
passwords for all
(or at least
most) of the
websites I visit
-17
I take time to
understand how
my information
will be used
before I decide
to buy a product
or use a service
online
-19
I change my
passwords
regularly or use
password
management
software
-8
I take steps to
manage my
online
reputation
+5
41
Millennials
60%
50%
Feel fully or very protected
Boomers
57%
62%
Extremely or very unlikely to
become a victim
Q4. Overall, how would you grade your own actions to help safeguard yourself from online scams and fraud? A = excellent, B = above average, C = fair, D =
below average, F = poor.
Q5. When thinking about all the steps you take to help safeguard yourself from online scams and fraud, how protected do you feel?
Q6. When thinking about all the steps you take to help safeguard yourself from online scams and fraud, how would you rate your probability of becoming a
victim of an online scam or fraud?
75%
76%
Self grade A or B
42
43
Respondent Demographics
Male
Married
Female
Not
married
Other
18-34
35-54
55-74
Some college
Associate,
Masters+,
or less
Bachelor
Professional
44
Respondent Demographics (con’t.)
Children <18 living in household
<$35K
$35-74K
>$75K
Yes
No
* Five percent declined to answer this question
Retired
18%
Hispanic
15%
Caucasian
64%
Other 3%
Asian 4%
African
American
13%
Student
4%
Selfemployed
8%
Part-time
10%
Unemployed
16%
Other
3%
Full-time
41%
45
Device Profiles
Laptop / Desktop
Smartphone
Tablet
iOS
39%
iPad/Mini
41%
Other
4%
Apple
15%
Microsoft 7%
Windows 4%
Blackberry 3%
Windows
81%
Android
51%
Win 7
Win 8
47%
32%
Win XP
Win Vista
10%
7%
D1. Which of the following best describes the computer you use most often to access the Internet?
D1a. Which operating system is on the desktop or laptop you use most often to access the internet?
D2. Which tablet do you use most often to access the internet?
D3. Which of the following best describes the operating system your smartphone uses?
D4. Which gaming device(s) you use to connect to the Internet?
Blackberry 5%
Other/Don’t Know 3%
Android
47%
Game Device
12%
14%
16%
Nintendo
XBox
Playstation
8%
Other
46
47
Survey Methodology
USA
General internet users
Balanced mix of ages and genders across adults 18 to 74
Sample size N=1006
Web-based survey methodology (CAWI)
Survey length approximately 20 minutes. Click to see survey. ->
Responses collected August 26–29, 2014
Respondents could take the survey on a PC or mobile device
NCSAM Online Scams & Fraud Questionnaire 2014 v-Programming Draft
PN: Show S1, S2, and S3 on same screen
ASK ALL
S1. What is your gender?
Male
1
Female
2
Prefer not to state TERM 3
PN: SET QUOTAS, max of 520 Males or 520 Females
ASK ALL
S2. Which of the following groups represents your age?
17 years old or younger
1
18-24
2
25-29
3
30-34
4
35-39
5
40-44
6
45-49
7
50-54
8
55-59
9
60-64
10
65-69
11
70-74
12
75-79 TERM
13
80 years old or older TERM
14
PN: SET QUOTAS, MUST get 250 completes codes 9-12 and 250 completes codes 2+3
ASK ALL
S3. Which of the following best describes your current employment status?
Employed by someone else, working 30 hours or more per week
Employed part-time by someone else, working less than 30 hours per week
Self-employed, working outside your home
Self-employed, working in your home
Student
Retired
Not currently employed
Other
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Prospective respondents drawn from online panels and recruited via email. Research
sponsor will not be revealed.
Sample sourced from Microsoft pre-approved list of online panels.
Respondents completing the survey will receive standard panel incentives
48
Definitions: General Scams
During the survey, respondents could see a description of the scam or fraud by placing their cursor
over the name of the scam or fraud.
Phishing scams: Phishing is a virtual trap set by cyber thieves who use official-looking emails, phony websites, instant messages, and posts on social networks
that mimic those of trusted businesses and brands, to trick you into revealing personal information.
Spear-phishing scams: Spear-phishing is a phishing scam that targets a specific organization in which criminals seek unauthorized access to confidential data.
Spear- phishing attempts are not typically initiated by random hackers, but are more likely to be carefully researched and conducted by perpetrators seeking
financial gain, trade secrets, or military information.
Fraudulent website scams: These websites are often set up by phishers and other scammers as the destination for a phishing attack. These sites look
legitimate, often impersonating your bank, credit card company, or other trusted institution. The sites are designed to trick you into either providing your
sensitive personal information or downloading malicious software onto your computer.
Major event scams: These scams exploit concern and interest around current events or other popular topics, preying on your sympathies or your need to be
“in the know,” to lure you into clicking a link to a fraudulent website that downloads malware onto your machine. Scams have revolved around relief for natural
disasters such as the 2011 tsunami in Japan, links to celebrity videos everyone is talking about, or supposed cheap tickets to high-demand sporting events
such as the World Cup or Olympics.
Shortened URL scams: Given the demand for shortened URLs driven by social media like Twitter, scammers are now using these shortened URLs to trick you
into clicking links that otherwise might appear suspicious to you. Many of us now know how to spot a suspicious URL in a link, but if the URL is shortened
using one of the common URL shortenings such as bit.ly or owl.y, it may not be so obvious. Scammers are now disguising their links to fraudulent websites or
malware downloads by first converting them to shortened URLs before sending them in tweets, social networking posts, or other communications.
Health care / insurance scams: The scammer typically offers “free” medical equipment, discounted health plan, or other healthcare services in exchange for
money and or personal information. The products or services are never delivered.
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Definitions: Advanced Fee, Job Scams
During the survey, respondents could see a description of the scam or fraud by placing their cursor
over the name of the scam or fraud.
Advance-fee fraud (e.g., “Nigerian Prince”) scams: These email scams seek to trick you into wiring money, or try to gain access to your bank account or
debit card, by asking you to be an accomplice who will help the sender—often some “foreign dignitary”—to transfer large sums of money into their account
for a cut of the total. However, before the transaction can be finalized, the fraudster requires an up-front payment to cover "taxes," "attorney costs," "bribes," or
other advance fees.
Job hunter scams: Scams targeting job hunters that attempt to gain access to personal information such as bank account or social security numbers and
requires a fee to be considered for a job. Money launderers often create job postings on popular sites such as Monster.com that say they're recruiting
American citizens to "process payments" or "transfer funds," because as foreign nationals, they can't do it themselves. When you respond to the ad, you’re
offered a “job” and asked to provide personal and bank account information. The criminal may wipe out our your bank account, or even worse, ask to use your
bank account to move stolen or bad checks and keep a percentage as your pay. You may then be liable to your own bank for depositing the scammer's checks,
and even find yourself implicated in the crime.
Work-from-home scams: These take on various forms, but typically fall into two categories: 1) asking you to work from home stuffing envelopes, assembling
crafts, etc., or 2) "helping" you start your own home-based business (e.g., mystery shopper, network marketer, etc.). The only money anyone sees is the money
the scammer pockets from the “start-up costs” you send.
Postal forwarding or reshipping scams: These scams begin with online ads seeking a “correspondence manager” for an offshore corporation that lacks a U.S.
address or bank account, and needs someone to accept goods and ship them overseas in exchange for a percentage of the goods transferred. Stolen products
are shipped to your address, which you reship to the thieves, who fence them overseas. Or, you may be asked to accept wire transfers into your bank account
and then transfer the money (stolen funds) to the account of your “new boss,” obscuring the money trail. Either way you can end up with your bank accounts
drained, and you may even be implicated in the criminal operation.
.
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Definitions: Shopping & Auction Scams
During the survey, respondents could see a description of the scam or fraud by placing their cursor
over the name of the scam or fraud.
Lottery or “Congratulations, you’ve won!” scams: These scams inform you that you’ve won a lottery or a particular item—typically the hot gadget du jour such as an iPod or Xbox.
But, before you can receive the winnings or prize, you’re asked to send money in advance to cover processing fees or taxes. They seek to trick you into wiring money, or try to gain
access to your bank account or debit card. If you send the fee, the scammer may invent other fees.
Auction scams: These scams list items on auction sites such as eBay. When you “win” the auction and pay for the item, you never receive it, or the descriptions don't match the
product.
Wrong transaction scams: Scammers send an email from a hotel or airline that you recently patronized, citing an incorrect charge to your credit card. They then ask you to go to a
(fraudulent) website and complete a form for a refund.
Email shopping scams: Scammers send an email from your favorite store offering a huge discount. The link takes you to a fraudulent site that can install malware on your computer or
access sensitive personal information.
Unsecured shopping websites: An unsecured website does not use encryption technology to protect information being sent to and from the site. While unsecured websites are not
scams themselves, they are common targets for fraud, so if you enter sensitive information there, it can easily be stolen and used for identity theft. You can distinguish secure websites
from unsecure ones by looking for “https://” vs. “http://” at the beginning of a site’s URL. The ‘s” indicates the site is secure. You can also look for a closed padlock either next to the
web address or in the lower right corner of the window.
Auto fraud scams: Scammers attempt to sell you a car online that they do not own. Often the reason stated is an impending move, which the scammer uses as a reason to rush the
sale and avoid meeting in person. The scammer then asks you to wire money to a third party who will hold the money in “escrow” until the car is delivered. The scammer takes the
money and doesn’t deliver a vehicle.
Overpayment scams: In these scams, a buyer “overpays” you for something you may be selling online—either through a popular auction site or classified ads service. The scammer
overpays with a money order that looks real, but is fake. He or she then asks you to send or wire back the difference. You are out the money you send and if you provided the scammer
with any account information to “refund” the money, you could lose the money in your bank account as well.
Travel Scams: You receive an email telling you that you've won a vacation. The vacation that you've "won" likely isn't free. And the "bargain-priced" luxury travel package you're
offered may not fit your idea of luxury.
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Definitions: Impersonation Scams
During the survey, respondents could see a description of the scam or fraud by placing their cursor
over the name of the scam or fraud.
Tech support scams: These begin with a scammer posing as a tech support person from a respected company, like Apple, Dell, or Microsoft. You might come
into contact with these scammers by searching for technical support in a search engine, or the scammers might cold-call you. The scammer claims that your
computer is infected with a virus or has some technical problem, and offers to fix it. He or she suggests that you go to a fraudulent website to download the
software. If you do so, you may install malicious software that could capture sensitive data, such as user names and passwords. The thieves might also try to
charge you to remove the “virus.”
FBI-related scams: A caller claims that you are delinquent on your taxes or some government loan or subsidy and must repay the money owed to avoid legal
action. The caller purports to be from the FBI, IRS, or other government agency, or to represent a law firm or collection agency. You are then directed to a
fraudulent website to pay your “debt.”
Loan intimidation scams: A caller claims you are delinquent on a loan and must repay it to avoid legal consequences. The caller purports to be a
representative who collects debts for legitimate-sounding agencies or companies. You are then directed to a fraudulent website to pay your “debt.”
Traffic ticket scams: email claims that you were issued a traffic ticket and must pay the fine to avoid legal action. Callers purport to be agents who collect
debts for legitimate-sounding agencies. You are then directed to a fraudulent website to pay your “fine.”
Live chat scams: Through malicious code already installed on your machine, scammers generate a “live chat” pop-up when you visit your bank’s website. (The
bank’s website has not been hacked—the pop-up is generated from your own, already compromised computer.) The pop-up impersonates a bank service rep
who tells you that the bank system doesn’t recognize you and asks you to provide information to confirm your identity. This scam is particularly effective
because it occurs while you are visiting a site that you know is secure and authentic.
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Definitions: Impersonation Scams (con’t.)
During the survey, respondents could see a description of the scam or fraud by placing their cursor
over the name of the scam or fraud.
Political survey scams: Initially, you receive a phone call from an organization purportedly conducting a political survey. After answering a few questions, you
are told that you have won a prize of some sort and told you must pay a processing fee to receive it. You are given a web address where you can verify the
legitimacy of the call and there you are asked for your credit card information.
Romance scams: On an online dating service or other social network, a scammer poses as someone who likes you and asks for your email address, at which
point you get marketing email or other spam. Or, the scammer asks you to send money to pay for a trip to visit you or to help them deal with some personal
“family emergency.”
Fake antivirus alert scams: These scams try to trick you into downloading malware onto your computer by delivering a fake alert that tells you your computer
is infected with a virus. Fake virus alerts are usually generated by a “Trojan”—a program that takes control of your computer after you open an email
attachment, click on a pop-up advertisement, or visit a malicious website.
Scams impersonating people you know (e.g., fraudulent requests to wire money): These scams typically start when a friend or family member’s email or
social networking account has been compromised. The scammer impersonates your friend or family member and sends you an email detailing some crisis
(e.g., having been robbed while travelling overseas), and asks you to wire money.
Facebook friend added a new photo of you scam: This scam sends you a fake email from Facebook claiming a close friend has tagged you in a photo. It
asks you to click on the attachment to see the photo. Clicking it releases malware in the form of a “Trojan”—a program that takes control of your computer.]
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