Will phishing, ID theft, etc. kill the internet?

Tony Palmer · Post by **Tony Palmer** » 21 Dec 2005 7:01 am

The scammers and phishers are getting more clever all the time.
It is getting so even very experienced computer users are "almost" getting tricked.
If you're reading this section, you're already ahead of the curve, but what about the thousands of new users who have email accounts and are bombarded with pleas for money, fake notices from ebay, paypal, the IRS, AOL, etc.
Will using the internet become so (financially) dangerous that it no longer can function?

John Bresler R.I.P. · Post by **John Bresler R.I.P.** » 21 Dec 2005 8:39 am

I think that people need more education about internet fraud. I also believe that our legislatures need to step up to the plate and make some of these things real felonies with real jail time and heavy fines. The virus folks are a very sick group that need to be dealt with heavily. They cost the American consumer millions of dollars every year.

my $.02 worth.

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 21 Dec 2005 10:24 am

It won't kill the internet or E-Business, but the easy simple non-encrypted non-verifyiable stuff will be always risky.

The bad guys will always be looking for a free $$ because no company can afford to fund the level of development, to make a hardened system, that will withstand the barrage of hacking hours that will be spent for free trying to break it.

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 21 Dec 2005 10:34 am

I find myself trying to picture or imagine the person who spends all that time and energy to write the code that is trying to steal from, hack into, or just crash my computer world. I know people are proud of their hacking skills, and as vile as it is, I can somewhat understand the motivation for financial gain. But I'll never get just trying to ruin the work and hardware of someone you'll never meet. There's something seriously wrong with a growing segment of our society. I'm not sure punishments will cure the problem. Pretty dificult to legislate morality.

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 21 Dec 2005 12:09 pm

Just a thought...but, it might be more beneficial to require a "test" before a newbie can use the internet....to preclude harm to himself and others.

The "test", which would result in a license to use the internet, would serve the same purpose as the test to drive an automobile, and that is...to eliminate harm to themselves or others.

Tony Palmer · Post by **Tony Palmer** » 21 Dec 2005 2:39 pm

I got an email from an "artist" in England who is trying to sell his artwork in the USA but gets US Postal money orders for payment, which he has trouble cashing!
He'd like to make me a partner and collect 10% for each transaction!!
It's this kind of relentless $#!& that keeps coming every day, that sooner or later, will trap a newbie into parting with his money.
If there's enough of these scams successfully carried out, and not prosecuted, they will make anyone with an email address a potential victim.
Couple this with the constant threat of identity theft and I think the internet will become the playground exclusively of thieves, cheats and worse....
I think in a few years we will look back fondly to today when the internet was mostly "safe".

Dave Boothroyd · Post by **Dave Boothroyd** » 22 Dec 2005 12:22 am

That's an easy one Tony,
Tell him to set up a Paypal account for his payments from the US - but say that you will need to know his user name and password.

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Cheers!
Dave

Mark Vinbury · Post by **Mark Vinbury** » 22 Dec 2005 12:31 am

I just wonder how many of these phishing scams actualy catch any phish.You'd have to be very unaware to miss the warnings all over the Internet.You can't protect everyone from everything.
Maybe the Internet Providers need to be accountable when someone who doesn't have the where-with-all gets taken.If I'm not mistaken they make money from the phishers.
Maybe there should be a limit to the number of eMails you can send without being charged.
Seems like there must be some way to limit these mass mailings.

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[This message was edited by Mark Vinbury on 22 December 2005 at 06:21 AM.]

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 22 Dec 2005 4:23 am

Mark, I'm just gonna give Snoop Dog my credit card number so's I can get one of them "Girls Gone Wild" videos. Then I'll order some of those miracle pills that make things grow bigger, and put hair where it's not.
Try getting those (what then becomes) monthly charges removed from your credit card.[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 22 December 2005 at 04:24 AM.]

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[This message was edited by Mark Vinbury on 22 December 2005 at 06:23 AM.]