Fraud Alert
Social Networking - On Line Dating and ‘Honey Traps’
In recent years the number of people becoming involved with social networking on the Internet has increased significantly. They use it for contacting old friends, making business contacts, making new friends and for dating. Some sites allow you to share family information and photographs, others send messages to thousands of people at the touch of a button.
The World Wide Web of the internet allows this information to be passed on and relayed to almost anybody, anywhere.
Do you really want everybody to know your business?
- Protect yourself - are they who they say they are? What are their true intentions?
- Protect your privacy, and that of your friends and associates.
- Protect your money and property, beware of ‘Honey Traps’, fraud and scams.
- Protect your reputation - both from the media and employers - they increasingly use social networking site for research into job applicants.
- Protect your personal safety. Be careful where and when you meet, take a chaperone, ask for proof of Identity.
- Social engineering is on the increase - finding out information about people in order to target them for Fraud.
What is a honeytrap?
- Contact is made through a website, email or personal advert.
- You become friends, exchanging personal information and photographs.
- You become hooked, believing what you are told.
- You become sorry, believing the hard luck story.
- You want to help, so you send them money.
- You become hooked, so you send them more.
- You run out of money, so you borrow some, mortgaging your home and life.
- You realise when it is too late.
- You feel ashamed, and the consequences can be far worse.
Why?
- There is a fraud for everyone - the fraudsters are skilled people.
- The story is plausible.
- The photo’s are real - of somebody else, far more attractive.
- The phone diverts to another country.
- The email address is spoofed - hiding the true email address.
How to protect yourself:
- Check and challenge everything.
- Search the internet for more information about people contacting you - including social networking sites.
- Think - am I being manipulated?
- Think - am I giving out too much information - personal and banking details?
- Why have we never met?
- Never send money to somebody that you do not know personally.
- See our advice about sending money by Money Transfer
- See our advice about sending money by Bank Transfer
- See our advice about identity fraud.
- You will never get the money back.