Drums, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/11/2013 -- The term 'online fraud' refers to any type of fraud scheme that uses email, web sites, chat rooms or message boards to present fraudulent solicitations to prospective victims, to conduct fraudulent transactions or to transmit the proceeds of fraud to financial institutions or to others connected with the scheme. There are many different types of scams these days. Why don’t we touch on a couple of the most common scams?

Internet banking fraud
Internet banking fraud is fraud or theft committed using online technology to illegally remove money from, or transfer it to, a different bank account. Types of Internet banking fraud include phishing and mule recruitment, and can happen through your smart phone, tablet and other mobile devices.

Mobile banking
Banking on your computer, tablet or smart phone is so convenient and banks protect your accounts with sophisticated software systems. Criminals know it's difficult to defeat these systems, so they focus on customers directly, tricking their victims into revealing confidential information. Avoid becoming a victim by knowing how to protect your information and your mobile devices, and understand how criminals use scams to try to defraud people.

Phishing
Phishing involves using a form of spam to fraudulently gain access to people's Internet banking details. The term 'phishing' refers to the use of spam e-mails purporting to be from a bank, in this way criminals 'fish' for legitimate bank customer's logon information. Typically, a phishing email will ask an Internet banking customer to follow a link to a fake banking website and enter his or her personal banking details.

What you can do
“It is important to also make others aware about these emails and encourage them to never respond to requests for personal details”, said Michael Reynolds. Some email frauds/scams can seem extremely convincing, hence their effectiveness for criminals. We suggest that you treat phishing emails as spam, delete them without opening. Spam emails are a proven method for distributing viruses and other unwanted programs.

If you have ever been faced with a company or an individual that has scammed you out of money or anything else, it is important for you to post the scam online and report fraud. If you think you may have been scammed, file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Agency at consumerprotectionagency.org/complaints/post.

About Consumer Protection Agency
An independent organization, Consumer Protection Agency has created a community of consumers and companies where negative issues can be addressed, reviewed, and resolved. Consumers can address concerns by signing up for membership and filling out a web form, while businesses can comment on issues and attempt to resolve them. An additional service for improving online reputation is also available.

Contact:
Company name: Consumer Protection Agency
Mail: info@consumerprotectionagency.org
Website: consumerprotectionagency.org
Contact: Michael Reynolds