LOIS KINDLE PHOTO
Community Resource Deputy Jeff Merry, of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, will host four seminars in Sun City Center this month on Internet safety and security. All are free and open to the public.
By LOIS KINDLE
While the internet gives everyone instant access to anything they want to know and the ability to communicate in real time, it also provides some with the means of conducting criminal activity.
Law enforcement officials warn all must constantly be vigilant to avoid becoming one of their victims. Seniors can be especially vulnerable.
“It’s really easy to fall prey to these people,” said Dana Schroeder, Sun City Center Area Chamber of Commerce CEO. “I myself have received emails from (criminals posing as) friends, supposedly in trouble and needing money. They appear to be quite real, but they’re not.
“Seniors didn’t grow up with computers,” she continued. “So they’re not so savvy on the things that can be done over the internet to defraud them.”
Many are also lonely, eager to help others and way too trusting, said Community Resource Deputy Jeff Merry, of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
That’s why he’s hosting his latest community service seminars on internet security and safety.
The first half will cover passwords and antivirus software — a must to have and update.
“Bad guys are constantly figuring out loopholes and back doors to get past your antivirus software,” Merry said. “Good guys figure out ways to close them (in patches provided through updates).”
Yet despite all warnings and the potential dangers of hacking, some residents still don’t have antivirus software on their computers, he said.
In the other half of his seminar, Merry will cover frauds currently being perpetrated in the area.
These will include what’s known as “Internet Extortion,” where someone who’s hijacked your computer calls to report it’s locked and, if you pay them hundreds of dollars, they’ll unlock it for you. A variation of this scam is a pop-up message on your computer or cell phone carrying the same type of warning telling you to call a specific number or click on a supplied link immediately for assistance.
If this ever happens to you, simply unplug your computer, plug it back in, and then restart it, Merry said. If this doesn’t work, call a reputable I.T. company.
“Never give anyone you don’t know permission to access your computer or phone,” he said.
Another fraud he plans to talk about is the “Internet Dating Scam,” to which several area residents have fallen prey through free dating sites like PlentyOfFish, aka POF, and OkCupid.
“We recently had someone sell their house and deplete their savings to help a ‘suitor’ they planned to be with,” Merry said. “The money was wired to a domestic address but actually went overseas. The criminal is still at large.”
Merry said another area senior fell victim to a similar scam and had a shoebox full of Western Union receipts totaling $40,000.
Other internet-based scams include the Facebook friend request from people you don’t know or from someone who has hacked a friend’s Facebook account.
Under this guise, “they establish a relationship with you, get you to reveal your personal information and use it to commit fraud,” Merry said.
Another scam attempt folks frequently receive are phishing emails requesting you to update your banking or some other financial account information or stating your account has been compromised. You are asked to provide your password and other personal information by clicking on a link.
Don’t do it, Merry said. Instead, forward that email to phishing@ and the name of your financial institution. The email goes to its fraud department.
“Every financial institution has this email set up,” Merry said.
The public is invited to any of the upcoming, free Internet Security and Safety seminars. All are in Sun City Center.
• 10 a.m., Aug. 8, Caper Room, Sun City Center Community Association Atrium, 945 N. Course Lane.
• 1 p.m. Aug. 8, Ripple Room, Kings Point North Clubhouse, 1900 Clubhouse Drive.
• 11 a.m., Aug. 15, Freedom Auditorium, Freedom Plaza, 1010 American Eagle Blvd.
• 3 p.m., Aug. 16, American Momentum Bank, 131 Pebble Beach Blvd. S.
If you’d like to learn more about other internet scams and how you can make your online interactions safer, visit tinyurl.com/observer-fraud.
If you have been victimized over the internet, call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200 or Merry at 813-242-5515.
