Be Careful of Online Fraud

I found this article today. I'm amazed at how some people will lie and cheat others.



Article Source



Michael Benning

KIMT NewsChannel 3

Thursday, January 11, 2007




An area woman wants to file charges against a man she has never even met.



Tammy Halla of Osage says someone broke into an account she had online and tried to charge her credit card. Halla says it's not the first time something like this has happened to her. Four years ago someone stole her identity, and charged her credit card to the tune of $65,000.



That case is unsolved and today she's looking for the other culprit who stole her account online.



Tami Halla hadn't used her Paypal account, which transfers money on popular sites like ebay, in eight months. Then she got an email saying her credit card was being charged nearly $250 for an i-pod.



"You've got to be kidding. That's the first thing I said. No way this is happening," said Halla.
An i-pod she didn't buy, but Josh Barton in Benton Harbor, Michigan did.



"I have no idea who this kid is and what would I do with an i-pod. What would I need an i-pod for? I live out in the country, and I don't need no I-pod," said Halla.



The National Consumers League says internet fraud cost users more than $13 million in 2005. Best Buys Geek squad says one of the most popular ways, is called phishing. It's when an email that looks real is opened, and a hacker is able to steal information.



"They basically look like the genuine thing. If you don't know specifically, I wouldn't mess with it. They will get your info if you respond or click one of their links," said Geek Squad's Michael Kremer.



Kremer says firewalls are your best bet in keeping hackers from stealing credit card information, or passwords you send over the internet. Halla says she's not taking anymore chances.



"I do a lot of shopping on the internet, but I haven't bought anything since this happened. I'm not going to use the internet to buy anything anymore, no card numbers on there," said Halla.



Halla didn't end up having to pay the charge, because the credit card had expired. She has called the Mitchell County attorney and plans to press charges against whoever tried to steal her information.



The number of online fraud accounts is growing significantly every year. The Geek Squad says it is important for users to monitor all their accounts online, no matter how often they use them. That way you can make sure no one has hacked into your information or tried to charge anything to your account.




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