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Experts estimate that nearly 20% of consumers have been the victim of cybercrime within the past two years at an estimated cost of $8 billion.  This cost includes financial losses related to identity theft, misuse of financial information, and the replacement of computers infected by malware.  It is much easier to protect yourself from becoming a victim of these scams when you can easily identify which communications may be fraudulent.

Delivery Notifications
A favorite of many scammers is the delivery notification scam.  With this scam, the scammer creates a fake email that looks like it is from a major delivery company or retailer and sends it to numerous consumers asking for a confirmation of personal information.  Individuals that fall for these scams can find their personal or financial information compromised or find malware installed on their computer that is difficult or impossible to get rid of.

E-Card Deliveries
Another common method of infecting computer systems with malware that can compromise personal and financial data is attaching a virus to an e-card that is mass mailed to unsuspecting consumers.  In many cases, these e-cards are sent to all of the contacts in a hijacked email address’s contact list so the e-card appears to come from a person the victim knows.  If you receive an e-card from a casual contact or from a person that has never sent you an e-card before, you may want to err on the side of caution and ask the person if they personally sent the e-card before opening the attachment or clicking on the link.

Auction Site Scams
One scam that is quickly gaining in popularity is the auction site scam.  With this scam, the scammer sends out a fraudulent email that appears to be from a popular auction website either confirming a high dollar purchase from the person’s account or claiming that there is an issue with an item that the person was bidding on.  Clicking the link in these emails allows the malware to be downloaded onto the victim’s computer where it can transmit data back to the scammer’s computer. 

Employment Scams
Today’s bleak employment landscape has given rise to another opportunity for scammers to gain access to the information on your computer by using employment offers as a lure to entice individuals to click on malware links.  Any offers of employment from companies that you do not remember applying to or emails offering work at home positions should be viewed with suspicion, as these are the most common methods used to expose the victim to viruses and malware.  Scammers are endlessly inventive, so it is best be suspicious of any email that does not look right, has grammatical errors, or does not conform to a contact’s typical activities.