Be careful about crimes involving PCs and telephones

　“I bid successfully for an electronic device through an online auction, made contact with the seller via email, and sent the money. But the product never arrived, and after I sent the money I couldn’t contact the seller via email.” Recently, crimes like this are on the rise. Also increasing are crimes that involve the use of networks. For example, someone’s password is stolen and used to tamper with their website. Or emails are intercepted to gain authorized access There are also cases of students nonchalantly replying to emails only to receive demands for money. So you really need to be careful.
　To make sure you don’t get entangled in crimes like this, the following precautionary steps are necessary:

• ●If you can’t trust the other party, you generally shouldn’t pay for items in advance.
• ●Before you transfer the money, confirm the identity of the other party (real name, address, and telephone number). If they are reluctant to share this information with you, cancel the transaction.
• ●Do not tell your password to anyone else.

〈Phishing fraud〉

　Phishing is a type of fraud where the fraudster sends an email designed to look like it’s from an actual bank, credit card company, shopping site, etc. When you click on a link embedded in the email, you get taken to a fake website that looks exactly like the website of the actual bank etc. You are then asked to enter important personal information such as your credit card number.
　It goes without saying that credit card companies do not send out emails demanding that you enter your card number or PIN. Neither do banks call you asking for your account number and PIN. So beware of any communication asking you for such information.

〈Spyware〉

　Some software on the market comes with other software that gathers users’ personal information and sends it to the individual or company that sold the software. Such software, which is used for malicious purposes, is generally referred to as “spyware.”. Most of it is embedded deep within the software, so gets into your computer when the software is installed.There’s also software such as Spybot that seeks out and destroys spyware, so if you notice anything odd about the operation of your PC, be sure to check things out.Also put into practice what you have learned in Data Science Basics (a class at the university) to use your PC and the Internet with care.