Cyber Theft

Cyber theft is far more dangerous than physical theft because unlike in physical theft wherein the thief can steal only after entering the premises physically, the thief in cyber theft can steal sitting thousands of miles away from you. The worst part is that you will not be even aware of this with the result that the loss to you will be far more severe. There are laws framed in our constitution to deal with physical theft. Offenders can be penalised under various sections of Indian Penal code. But for cyber crime, there are no proper cyber laws in our country. With the increasing use of internet, cyber crime is increasing day by day. General public is not fully aware of the consequences of using credit card for online shopping or Operating bank account through internet.It is estimated that over 85% of all unwanted emails often described as "Spam" contain links to spurious websites and businesses that are out to cheat you. They can not only hack your email addresses but even your passwords without you being aware of it. This will enable them to take virual control of your PC. They will have access to all sensitive information you may have stored in your PC which they can misuse. For example, if you have stored credit card details in your PC that can be used to make online purchases. or if you have stored personal details like email id, password, personal details of your internet banking, that can be used to siphon off money from your bank account.

Sometimes, you will receive an official looking email usually with your Bank's logo telling you there may be a problem with your account.You are instructed to click on the link to bank's website except that it is not the Bank's website although it may look like that. Again you are asked to confirm account details, numbers and addresses. If you respond as requested, within minutes the information you provide can be used to make fraudulent purchases over the internet. You will realise it only after you receive a statement from Bank perhaps weeks later. It can lead to identity theft wherein the hacker can open account in your name providing all the details of your personal information and operate it without you even realising of it. Terrorists can hack your PC identification no and use it to send threatening mails to targets. Such emails can be traced to your PC and you will unnecessary be looked upon with suspicion by investigating agencies.

If you are holding credit card, you will receive statements of purchases made by you through credit card. If you happen to notice any discrepancy in the statement, you will call customer service number which is usually written on the reverse side of the card. This telephone is not that of bank but of call centre to which the bank has outsourced this service. If you are talking to someone on this number, you are in fact not taking to bank personnel but to call centere employees. The person who is attending to your complaint will ask you details like your credit card no, Tel number, Date of birth etc as part of verification procedure to ascertain that you are the genuine person. This sensitive information can be misused by the call center employees who can furnish these details to a hacker at a price. Last year, a BBC reporter posing as a fraudster revealed how easy it is to get such secret information at a nominal price say at $10 per card in India. Information you think is secret is not actually remains secret.

Here are few tips on what you should do as a victim. If any purchase that you have not made is reflected in your credit card statement, do not pay under any circumstances,. Your bank is likely to try and make you pay. But as long as there is no negligence on your part such as letting someone else use your card or writing your PIN on it, you must protest such charges and refuse to pay. In many cases, the bank's security system may spot the suspicious purchase before you do and telephone you to check if it is legitimate. To prevent these incidents, the banks have taken certain precautionary measures like publishing in their websites certain dos and donts for their customers.

Never throw credit card statement on the dustbin as credit card statement contains your personal financial details on it. Similarly, never leave ATM statement on ATM machine. Never let your credit card be out of sight even in petrol pumps or shops or restaurants. In case of restaurants, accompany the waiter to the cashier's desk. Never provide photo copies of your card showing 3 digit CVV number which is written on the back side of the card. Use licensed copy of anti virus software to detect and remove any virus from infected files or incoming mails. Never use pirated copy of anti virus software because these softwares themselves may spread virus in your PC. Remove cookies from your computer from time to time.