Unfortunately, not everyone who comes into contact with you online cares about your best interests. Find out how to safeguard yourself from unscrupulous individuals trying to exploit you through your internet posts and classified ads.
Handling emails of scams, fraud and phishing
All electronic services that are openly available, including social networks and forums, are open to abuse. Pathankot35 requires many (technical and other) steps to minimize the potential for abuse, but abuse by some unscrupulous parties is feasible like all government internet facilities. Emails are sent from time to time through the Classifieds and Discussions which are illegal scams, attempts to defraud users, or so-called “phishing” attempts, most often in the form of Advance Fee Fraud. Please do the following if you receive such an email via Pathankot35:
- Do NOT answer and do not press any connections in it.
- Forward the email in its entirety to info@pathankot35.com with all headers if necessary
- Please do not post to the discussion forum for a public posting. This decreases our capacity to deal with the offender and the Discussion Administration will remove it as a matter of course if it is done.
- Delete the message
- Pathankot35 will use the data you provide to attempt to avoid recurrence by taking the required technical (and, if needed, legal) measures.
Please see the following resources for more data on defending yourself online:
A few typical scams
- Cheque Over Payment Scam – Used for purchases, rent/security deposits and wage advances, this scam includes providing the scammer with a check written for more than the purchase cost, rent or salaries. They then ask you to reimburse the surplus.
- Work from Home Scam- Offers for work prospects involving operating ‘ stuffing envelopes ‘ from home (which turns out to be selling a multi-level marketing scam to others) or cashing checks are generally circumstances of money laundering.
Dealing with Viruses, Trojans and Malware
There are many types of computer viruses, trojans and malware designed to control your computer and disable it in some cases.
- Viruses – Viruses normally infect your computer via email attachments or external media sources.
- Trojans – Trojans usually function by tricking you into downloading the virus that then infects your computer.
- Malware – Malware can be downloaded via tool-bars, applications such as games, or infected shareware programs.
- Protection – You can avoid becoming a victim of these threats by installing market-standard anti-virus software. Effective anti-virus software is widely available and the investment is well worth the protection that it affords. Automatic updates are provided regularly so that you remain protected against the latest threat.