Highway Hijackers Video Extra
May 8, 2009 12:15 am US/Eastern
I-Team: Cyber Scams Are On The Rise
MIAMI (CBS4 I-TEAM) ―
In tough economic times you have to work harder for your money, but crooks are also working harder to try to rip you off, and it happens often online. The CBS4 I-Team talked with a viewer who was concerned about the scam emails she's been receiving.
Carol Hill spends a lot of time on the internet looking for work and reading through tons of emails she receives on a daily basis. "I get emails like this I delete at least 20 a week," Hill admitted.
This CBS4 viewer contacted us about some of the more questionable emails, like the one from the "FBI".
Carol read a line from the email: "The United States Department of Justice can help you secure this needed document."
She showed CBS4's Al Sunshine another one from Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
"I got that this morning; I nearly fell off my chair. I said now Geithner is sending me an email," she exclaimed.
It turns out Florida is now number three in the country for complaints about cyber scams and one of the top states for cyber-scammers according to the latest national computer fraud figures.
And if you have email on your home or office computer, you know it doesn't take long to be choked by all the offers and special deals. Al said even he got an email claiming he was the lucky winner of a million Euros in a European lottery.
Scammers are also targeting consumers using emails from banks and credit card companies asking to verify account information.
"It's a very big problem and continues to grow," said U.S. Secret Service Agent Matt Eddins.
He's a cyber crime investigator specializing in South Florida cyber fraud.
Scammers basically start off sending an email that claims there's a problem with your account, they're doing an audit and need some personal account information. Then they ask for your account number, name and social security number. And if they get that, they may try to get even more information out of you.
Last year, nationally, cyber scam victims lost more than $264 million, averaging about $931 in each scam. That's up some $25 million dollars from 2007. The top scams include undelivered products, internet auction scams and credit card identity theft.
"The criminals are getting more and more tech savvy. They're learning how to take it to the next step," said Eddins.
But the feds are now taking it to the next step too. They are using a series of computer fraud videos online to warn consumers how to avoid being ripped off.
Eddins said the "warning signs" of most cyber scams are pretty easy to spot if you know what to look for.
"Anytime they receive an email or anything asking for personal identifiers, you need to stop and think this could be a scam," said Eddins.
So what does Hill think about all the scammers who keep trying to rip her off?
"They're garbage. They're trash. To me they're like rapists," Hill explained.
And everyone who uses a Blackberry, I-phone or any wireless networks, to make sure they're secure before sending out any personal banking or credit card information.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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