FreeLunchRoom - The #1 Freebie Trading Forum on the Internet! » Getting Down to Business » Freebie Help

[Zman]

Unfortunately, there are those hopeless misfits online who try to fraud people through getting their PayPal password or commit identity theft by fraudulently obtaining driver's license information, credit card numbers, social security numbers or other sensitive personal information.

You may get an email, or be contacted some other way, under the pretense that they need you to login to Paypal, or even to a fake website, and use your paypal password to do so, and the criminals will then use it to access your account.

This is called "phishing" (pronounced fishing).

The email or website or whatever they use to try to fraud you will look for all the world like its from PayPal or a legitimate website. But the bottom line is this...if anyone ever asks you to login somewhere with your PayPal password, it is NOT PAYPAL and it is not a legitimate website.

Not even PayPal will ask for your password in an email or direct you somewhere to enter your password.

So never give it out to anyone.

You can click HERE and read PayPayl's information on phishing, and how to report suspicious emails to Paypal.

You may also be phished for your Social Security number, Driver's License number, or other personal information. This is how criminals steal your identity.

For more information from PayPal on how to guard against Identity Theft click HERE.

This crime is not specific to this industry. It it is going on everywhere on the Internet. Its not happening because you are in the Freebie business. Its happening because you are online.

There is no legitimate person or business who will send you an email or otherwise ask you to click on a link to give them specific personal information, because this is how the criminals do it.

Legit folks will instead (and rarely) ask you to revisit their site and update your information. They won't even give you a link to their site to get there. Normally they won't even do that. They will simply wait until the next time you visit their site and ask that you update your information.

So if anyone sends you an email with a link, or gets a link to you some other way, or somehow gets you to a website, directing you to do something where sensitive personal information is involved - PayPal password - credit card information - Driver's License information - Social Security information - or anything like that, you are almost certainly face to face with a criminal.

But now that you know how its done, it shouldn't be a problem. Just be as careful about giving out sensitive personal information online as you would be giving out sensitive personal information offline.

Here are some additional resources you may find helpful.

OnGuardOnline.gov
provides practical tips from the federal government and the
technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.
http://onguardonline.gov/index.html

GetNetWise
wants Internet users to be only "one click away" from the resources they need to make informed decisions about their and their family's use of the Internet.
http://www.getnetwise.org/

Yahoo! Security Center
http://security.yahoo.com/

[Celeste]

Great post Zman! And how true! I got an email from the "IRS" saying they owed me a refund. The letterhead and everything was the same. It looked real. They needed me to "verify" some information. But of course, I knew better and reported them!

[jfprust]

Thanks for this great "help" I am very new and it is nice to be able to understand someone. I am very frustrated by the "jargon" slung so heavily.
Jfprust

[Gabsings]

This is a very good and important post! Especially to those who are new to the whole thing..I'm not new to the internet but I'm new to this forum. I appreciate everyone who posts help and advice! The links you list are great!

Thanks Zman!

[jamieoc1]

Great post. Very informative.

[cougarsong]

Great post Zman
Nasty ol mean phishers and hackers...I'd like to kick em all in the.....well, you get the idea!

[50dreamz]

Hello!

I am new here, I just found out about this incredible opportunity to work from home yesterday. I have not done any "greens" yet. I have been a lurker, trying to digest all of the good advice and information provided here!

Thank you all for being so generous with your knowledge, I am learning quite alot, and I am anxious to get started!

My question before I do anything is regarding online security. I understand it is a good idea to disable spyware and antivirus, and clear cookies before signing up with the sponsers offers, to ensure proper credit.

That makes sense...but if I am disabling these tools that exist to protect me from ID Theft, and then after I disable them, I am entering my credit card information into one of these sites, how do I know that there isn't someone swiping my credit card information or monitoring my keystrokes or utilizing some other high-tech way of stealing my data.

Aren't I making myself into a sitting duck, and inviting the opportunity for those with tech-finesse (but no scruples) into my life? How can I protect myself from this if my defenses have disabled?

This is all new to me, so any guidance/advice you can share would be appreciated before I begin this adventure! =) Thanks so much for helping!

-Laurie

[Zman]

That is an excellent observation and question, 50dreamz.

I will send you a link to some information that I have, and my take on it. But I am a little "IT" challenged.

Maybe some of the real techies around can give some insight into this.

I will just say that I don't disable my computer security for anyone for any reason, and as far as I can tell it has never been a problem for me.

But you do need to have your security program enable popups and accept cookies. But these aren't security issues.

[Gladiator]

It's been a while since I've completed offers regularly (I tend to stick to the free green promos), but I haven't disabled my anti-virus when I did them, firewall, I didn't have at the time. Personally if you don't have any cookie blocking programs, it shouldn't be a problem. If you just set your browser cookie acceptance to the lowest setting you should be set. What type of programs do you have running?

[Retiree]

Originally Posted by Zman

That is an excellent observation and question, 50dreamz.

I will send you a link to some information that I have, and my take on it. But I am a little "IT" challenged.

Maybe some of the real techies around can give some insight into this.

I will just say that I don't disable my computer security for anyone for any reason, and as far as I can tell it has never been a problem for me.

But you do need to have your security program enable popups and accept cookies. But these aren't security issues.

I agree with statement as I think computers will then be vulnerable, + I've read from other sources that these features do not interfere with others + there's enough phishing & identity theft these days as it's shown often, & we need to be aware of when navigating.