Scammers have been using the internet to bilk consumers out of money and personal information with great success. Now the FTC has an online resource for consumers to hone their skills at identifying investment scams and research investment opportunities, promotors and references.

At OnGuardOnline consumers can read up on some ways to avoid investment scams or play an online game Invest Quest. As players move around the game board, they are asked questions related to investing online, such as deleting unsolicited requests for personal information, checking investment tips against unbiased sources, and using a security token. Correct answers have players investing wisely, and gaining life milestones: a car, home, education, and retirement. Wrong answers can place players in the unfriendly hands of hackers, identity thieves, and investment scammers.

Email Scams and More

A new email scam has an interesting twist. The scammer claims to be a dying KGB agent with previously unpublished documents regarding the assassination of JFK in 1963. He promises to send the documents to the intended victim, documents that will make that person rich and famous. The intent, of course, is the same as any other email scam: money, identity theft and the sensitive personal information of the victim.

But scammers are in for a bit of scamming themselves. A website called 419eater.com (419 refers to the section of the Nigerian penal code that covers such scams) enlists “scambaiters” who engage these email scammers in long dialogues, wasting the scammer’s time and resources. Calling it a great “cyber-sport” the website offers tips on how to bait the scammers and raise awareness of internet scams from all over the world.

According to a report from the Javelin Strategy and Research firm, the top spots for security measures to prevent identity theft go to three banks: Bank of America, Washington Mutual and JP Morgan Chase.

Banks were rated for online account security, including the use of multiple passwords and authentication methods.

You can read about it here in an article at Consumer Affairs dot com. The article warns that even though these banks got high ratings, they have all suffered security breaches in recent years.

Identity theft. It’s more widespread all the time with con artists coming up with new methods of getting our personal information every time we start to catch onto the old ones. You need to be aware of some basic security steps to safeguard yourself from identity theft.

Now you may have done your budget after my last post and decided that possibly it would be a good thing if someone stole your identity, but trust me, they would make a worse job of your credit than you ever could.

The Federal Trade Commission’s website on identity theft helps you:

Deter identity thieves by safeguarding your information;

Detect suspicious activity by routinely monitoring your financial accounts and billing statements;

and

Defend against ID theft as soon as you suspect a problem.

For tips on how to protect yourself from identity theft and what to do if you have become a victim of ID theft, visit the FTC’s ID Theft site.