BANGALORE, INDIA: Every day, identity thieves are getting smarter at tricking people into revealing their account numbers, passwords, Social Security Numbers and financial information. Last year, they racked up 9.9 million fraud victims who lost an average of $4,849 in each incident.
And potential victims are not always Internet novices, as recently evidenced by FBI Director Robert Mueller who admittedly almost fell victim to a phishing site that posed as his bank.
Working within highly organized e-fraud cartels, today's criminals are outwitting Web-savvy consumers by luring them to Web pages that look real but aren't. They're phishing sites, clever copies of the real thing designed to capture sensitive personal data to be used maliciously by the phisher or sold to the highest bidder on the global black market.
But armed with the right information, consumers can protect themselves – and their valuable personal information.
That information is freely available on TrustTheCheck.com, a Web site devoted to helping consumers keep safe as they surf the Web. Created by VeriSign, Inc., the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure for the networked world, TrustTheCheck.com presents the tips and techniques consumers need to safely shop, bank, trade stocks and book travel online.
In addition to drawing on VeriSign's vast knowledge base on online trust, TrustTheCheck.com makes information accessible to you from a variety of independent sources, including the Federal Trade Commission, Parent-Teacher Associations, and many others. In addition to guidance on securing personal information, the site allows visitors to Take the Fake Site Challenge, an eye-opening experience that reveals just how similar many fraudulent sites are to the real thing.
The site also allows visitors to:
* Take a crash course on staying safe on the Web.
* Hear real stories and flip through videos of real people reliving their own Web security nightmares.
* Ask the community questions about identity protection, viruses and worms, encryption and more. Visitors can also use the community forum to report a clever phishing email or online scam.
* Learn what to look for during your online transactions by getting to know the Check, a globally recognizable symbol of trust.
* Listen to a video coach provide simple steps to improve privacy on social media sites like Facebook or LinkedIn.
TrustTheCheck.com's Top 10
Visitors to TrustTheCheck.com seek out information about all kinds of Web security topics, from keeping kids safe online to understanding the risks of social networks. Here are the 10 most popular:
1. Phishing
2. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
3. https
4. Trusted sites
5. Two-factor authentication
6. Fraudulent sites
7. Security risks
8. Identity protection
9. Web browser security
10. Keeping kids safe online
The site features a range of other related resources, including desktop widgets, a dictionary of security terms and a primer for businesses looking to build trust online.
