We’re no strangers to fraud. Thanks to the digital age, most of us at least have an idea that stealing something doesn’t just involve money and physical things anymore.
Criminals can steal card details, account credentials, and even another person’s identity. We also have a general idea of how these are done, usually without their victims knowing until it’s too late.
This week, the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce has urged “consumers and businesses to get smarter with their data and keep it out of the hands of scammers.”
Although they may be referring to online data in general, data that can be found on pieces of paper scattered, posted, or kept in the home and office can pose as much risk as data available online.
Fraud can be done with and without the aid of computing devices. And by these, we mean our smartphones, tablets, and laptops and desktop computers.
Some in the security industry are already expecting to hear of fraud related to the Internet of Things (IoT).
Potentially new and unexpected threats in the future aside, everyone is expected to do their share by securing their own data and getting smarted on how to do this with time. Below is a short survey created by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to help you, Constant Reader, assess if you and your identity are protected or not.
Click image above to redirect you to the article with the survey slide deck
It has a total of 18 slides presented in a “complete-the-sentence” manner. Make sure you think through the answers carefully before choosing your answer because errors can’t be corrected. As a bonus, below is a screenshot of what these slides look like with a correct answer:
This Sunday, the 24th, may officially be the last day of the National Consumer Fraud Week campaign in Australasia for the year, but in practice, all of us should be wary of the possibilities of fraud. It’s an everyday concern that we forget or neglect more often than not.
Incorporating a level of wariness in one’s current lifestyle is ideal, and the earlier we start doing so, we’ll highly likely be better off.
Useful links:
- AFP Crime Prevention Page
- AFP Identity Crime Page
- AFP Online Fraud and Scam Page
- ScamWatch
- IDCare
- Stop ID Fraud
The Malwarebytes Labs Team
