Sony hasn’t been out of the headlines in recent weeks, with hacks into both the PlayStation Network (PSN) and its Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) net gaming platform. While the numbers involved are pretty small, they’re a reminder that the convenience of paying for entertainment services with a credit card does come with some risks. More »
A significant percentage of the credit card theft each year is a result of poor data security at hotels. Keep a separate card for travel expenses to quickly identify a compromised card and report it to your credit card company. More »
This weekend several tech sites reported suspicious iTunes activity related to hacked iTunes accounts and fraudulent purchases between $US100 and $US1400 that hoisted one developer into 40 of the top 50 spots in the iTunes top paid books section. More »
According to a survey of 2,510 Australians, 10% of Internet users have suffered from some form of online fraud in the last year. But the headline figure being used to announce that result — the claim that $1.3 billion has been lost — isn’t exactly accurate. More »
June 1 is Think Fraud! day, a global day of action designed to highlight the prevalence of scams proliferated via the Internet, telephone calls and mail. You might think you’re pretty cluey when it comes to avoiding dodgy deals, but the problem is widespread: the ACCC received 20,000 complaints about fraud last year, and estimates the cost to the community as around $70 million for 2009. More »
Trying to argue about unsatisfactory goods and services is particularly complicated if you’ve purchased them online from an overseas provider. The econsumer.gov site provides resources that can help you deal with international complaints about online fraud and shonky products. More »
Of every $1,000 made in payments in Australia, 8.2 cents is fraudulent. That might sound like a small number (and it is by global standards), but it’s up from 6.2 cents the previous year, and neither scenario is very pleasing if it’s your money that happens to have been misappropriated. More »
Scams hitting Internet banking are pretty common (and quite easy to recognise), but online criminals will have a go at any potential source of income. The latest target? Self-managed superannuation funds. More »
Windows and Mac: Free auction analyser Auction Inquisitor is like having a paranoid uncle who checks anything you’re looking to buy online, searching through publicly available information in a way you probably never take the time to do. After copying the URL for an auction and pasting it into Auction Inquisitor, the app runs through the seller’s history, feedback, return policy, shipping price, and at least 21 other items, looking for signs of something slippery going down. Some of its “results” require you to do a little analysis of your own, but it’s a good tool to have if you’re even one percent unsure about something you’re looking to spend your hard-earned cash on. Auction Inquisitor is a free download for Windows and Mac systems. Auction Inquisitor [via gHacks]
