Scam and Out on good behaviour

In this postmodern era, we have become globalised to the extent that we are now able to keep in constant contact with another person on the other side of the world. Many of us spend our time on Facebook, Twitter, Google, along with various online shopping sites. But, whilst many of us spend our time on that; others are looking to perform online scams.

Most westernised countries are synonymously known of having people who disperse personal information online. As a result, countries such as Nigeria are well known for harbouring the scam known as "The Nigerian Widow"; they capitalise on the fact that personal information e.g. bank details are accessible on the internet. The technical term for this scam is known as, "advance fee fraud" or 419 frauds after its section number in Nigerian Criminal Code.

Unfortunately, for many the 419 scams have been generally successful for scammers across the world. The U.S Secret Service claims America has lost tens of millions of dollars every year!

However, there are websites designed to fight against 419 scams (www.419scam.org), but seems futile as it continues to rise and people are giving out sensitive information.

Many scams are in the form of an email, which eventually leads you to a fake reputable webpage; they are designed to gain the users trust along with, their sensitive information. As a result, the emails look very convincing and authentic which is properly one of the reasons why they are so successful. This process is commonly known as phishing, short for password harvesting fishing and can also lead to identity theft.

Many of these scams are used utilise by many scammers and eventually look familiar. Banks and other renowned organisations do not send you email to discuss your account! If you ever wish to discuss your account, contact your Bank by person or by phone; by simply going on your banks site & click onto "contact us" usually located on the bottom if not, it should be on the top.

In life there is always consequences for our actions & interactions, this theory is commonly reflected in societies across the world. For example, committing theft will result in a prison sentence; whereas, smooth social interaction is known as acceptable behaviour and will result in social harmony within society.

However, the online world differs from society. Our online social interactions spread across cultural & geographical boundaries. In addition, our online behaviour/ actions also differ in terms of restriction; as many of us aren't taught good online behaviour by our family as they are not equipped enough. Furthermore, users are able to be anonymous on the internet and believe they are impervious from being punished on bad behaviour. It's possible to behave badly on the internet up to a certain point! As firstly, we not entirely anonymous online; law enforcement agencies are able to use legal means to gain access to the identities of people who are committing crimes on the internet. At times these agencies often ask the help from ISPs (internet service providers) and companies like Microsoft or Apple to unravel who's who online. Additionally, when it comes to the use of a product, there is a danger of that product being abused. Therefore, as an online community we need to develop a standard of civilised behaviour to prevent abuse.

A possible solution could be Netiquette, which are guidelines for proper behaviour in social interactions online. It was meant for email use, but now it is seen as a more broad behaviour in any of the social settings on the internet. We also must be very observant on how our digital interactions might be misinterpreted or have an adverse impact. As well as being observant on our interaction we must be aware of our use of electronic communication such as Facebook & Twitter as it will influence family, friend and colleagues perception of you! In addition, many organisations use these social sites to gain an understanding of who you really are as a person; so, be aware and careful on the internet!

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