A newly released study by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) reveals that consumers are overconfident in their ability to recognize online scams. 87 percent of consumers stated that they were confident in their ability to recognize the scams but only 39 percent could recognize a legitimate email. Most of the respondents identified all the emails in the study as fraudulent but one was actually real. Additionally, users in the study were shown pictures of web pages and asked whether the site was secure or not. Only 33 percent could identify a secure page and 4 of 10 believed that there is no real way to identify if a page is secure or not.

Here are steps consumers can take to prevent fraud:

•  Protect your Computer. Install protection such as firewalls, anti-virus software and anti-spyware software. Keep this protection updated.
• Always know who you are dealing with. Do not download anything from unknown senders.
• Confirm the validity of all requests for sensitive personal, financial or account information, particularly if they are made with an urgent or threatening tone or are unsolicited. Consumers who get the request through e-mail should open a new browser window and type in the referenced Web address rather than clicking on links provided within the e-mail.
• Monitor all online accounts. Notify banks and credit agencies immediately of any unauthorized transactions.
• Do not share your IDs, passcodes or ATM passwords with anyone.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, June 10th, 2006 at 7:10 am and is filed under Security.