Congratulations, you have won million dollars! If you think that an online threat just means a vicious virus or a bit of mischievous malware, youâre in for a big surprise! A lot of the time threats appear in a form that only the human eye can detect,like scams, spam and unreliable online stores. Thankfully, Facebook now allows you to complement your antivirus software with Web of Trust (WOT), a website reputation rating and review tool that helps you to decide whether to trust a site or not. When youâre looking for tools to protect yourself in the Facebook AV Marketplace, it is recommended that you choose an antivirus program AND include the WOT add-on to your browser. This will boost your protection against online scams and other threats that can only be spotted by the human eye. Why is this necessary? Many of us like to think that we are too wise to fall victim to online scams. It is a human tendency to be optimistic about our own skills. However, scammers have done their homework and know a lot about human psychology. Underestimating their ability to pull your leg is a big mistake. Dr. Frank Stajano from the University of Cambridge and Paul Wilson, the host of BBCâs TV show The Real Hustle, have written an excellent article about the techniques that scammers use. Here are the top ones that you need to look out for: Deception Scam websites often have a very professional look and are designed to make you think they are a reputable business.Sometimes you can recognize a scam from spelling mistakes or shady looks, but thatâs becoming more rare. The better the scammers get, the harder it will be to tell the difference between real and fake. Distraction When a website promises you something enticing,you donât always pay attention to the smaller details that might reveal it to be scam. If thatâs not enough, you may not even be given enough time to investigate it further. Scammers are masters of timing and give you the feeling of urgency, distracting your attention until itâs too late. A website luring you to malware when youâre looking for information about a recent natural disaster, or an email from your âbankâ alerting you to change your PIN number immediately, may very well do the trick. Social Compliance Although we donât recognize them ourselves, we all tend to have established behavioral patterns. Some of those are nourished by society, such as trusting figures of authority. Phishing emails are often disguised as coming from the police or the FBI. Need and Greed Products that you desperately want or need can also serve as bait. Letâs say you are searching for the shoes of your dreams and find them very cheap in a reliable-looking web store. You might have found areal bargain, but there is also a risk that the shoes are counterfeit or you may end up never receiving your order at all. You can also be tricked by misleading targeted advertising. Search engines have been reported to display adverts for rogue online pharmacies, which offer you medication for vastly cheaper prices. What you receive may not be what you expect and might even be dangerous to your health. Falling victim to a scam is not an act of stupidity - it is something that could happen to anyone. Adding the WOT add-onto your browser gives you an additional layer of protection against scams that may be difficult to recognize without prior experience of a website. It also allows you to share your own experiences of websites to help others stay safe. To install WOT to your browser, go to the Facebook AV Marketplace and select WOT from the list. Click âdownloadâ and youâll start to see the color-coded icons appear next to links, guiding you to trustworthy sites. If you want to learn more about the tricks scammers use, check out the full article âUnderstanding scam victims: seven principles for systems securityâ (cl.cam.ac.uk/techreports/UCAM-CL-TR-754.pdf ).
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 04:54:07 +0000
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