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CYBER-CROOKS are targeting Singapore's older netizens in an array of scams, from fake kidnappings to offers of miracle cures, say Internet experts and police.
While there are no detailed statistics on the number of seniors who have been tricked, several stories have surfaced recently, including that of a 71-year-old nun whose Hotmail account was hijacked.
| Some precautions to take |
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If an offer sounds too good to be true, check with scam sites such as ScamBusters (www.scambusters.org), which have exhaustive listings of various types of online scams.
Security software such as spam filters can help to flag possible scam messages. Make sure you have anti-virus software, a firewall and a spam filter installed, and update the software at least once a week, because scammers and virus writers come up with new tricks all the time.
Some software even allow you to enter a blacklist of sensitive information, such as credit card numbers and personal identification numbers. Whenever someone keys in such information, the software will blank it out so it is unintelligible to the recipient.
Check your bank accounts and credit card statements for suspicious transactions, and quickly alert your bank if you notice anything untoward.
SOURCE: SYMANTEC, TREND MICRO
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The reason: Seniors generally have more money than younger netizens and are less savvy when it comes to security threats, said Mr James Fang, general manager of information technology security firm Trend Micro.
According to a government survey last year, 57 per cent of Singaporeans aged 60 and above are online daily. And over 70 per cent of those aged 50 to 59 connect to the Internet each day.
Unlike their younger counterparts, older netizens usually do not go through compulsory information security courses in school or at the workplace, said Mr Fang.
That, combined with the fact that older Internet users usually have more assets than pocket money-dependent teens, makes them prime targets for scammers, he added.
Some scams, for instance, promise pricey miracle cures for diseases such as arthritis and cancer.
There is also a kidnapping scam in which a victim gets an e-mail message claiming that a loved one has been abducted. Conmen ask the senior for ransoms that can stretch into tens of thousands of dollars.
A report last year in the American Elder Law Journal said scammers tend to focus on issues older users hold dear, such as health and family.
The journal said their trusting nature also made them particularly vulnerable to scam e-mail messages aimed at stealing financial information like credit card numbers and online banking personal identification numbers.
While there is no comprehensive record of such crimes here, the Consumers Association of Singapore has received six complaints regarding online scams this year.
Mr Gerard Ee, chairman of the Council for Third Age, an independent body that promotes active ageing, believes education is the key to combating scammers.
'We need to warn seniors of some of the dangers online,' he said. 'They (need to be) equipped with the necessary skills to protect themselves online.'
The council has been encouraging its partners and other agencies to include security-related lessons in the infocomm courses they run for seniors.
Nanyang Technological University's Associate Professor Alfred Choi, however, said the problem will take some time to fix.
Once older users are taught about the risks, they will have to figure out how to protect themselves online, he added.
That includes learning to install security software or determining what to do when they discover a password-stealing program on their computer, he explained.
chuahh@sph.com.sg
This story was first published in The Straits Times on 3 November 2008.
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