Are you safe on the Internet?
Jul 27, 2008
IMAGINE signing into your email every time and having over 30 junk mails in your inbox, advertising all sorts of products or aiming at swindling your money. <br>
By Denis Ocwich
IMAGINE signing into your email every time and having over 30 junk mails in your inbox, advertising all sorts of products or aiming at swindling your money.
The Internet brought us so much fun and speed of life, but now we have to spend productive time deleting spam and run the risk of being conned.
There is also the danger of your PC software or hardware going kaput because of the invading virus from a spammer or even worse, think of the millions of people (netizens) around the world being tricked everyday, and some losing a lot of money to Internet fraudsters.
Yet there is no global agency in-charge of policing the Internet, which means victims have no redress.
The Ugandan picture
A study conducted in 2005 by two lecturers of Information Communication Technology at Makerere University found that computer-related crimes in Uganda — including hacking, spam and scam — are growing at a rate of over 92% annually.
That’s almost the trend globally. Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba, the dean of the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology (CIT) Makere University, and another lecturer, Florence Tushabe, interviewed 500 Internet users in Kampala.
Of these, over 90% reported having been victims of at least one cyber crime incident and 25% confessed to having committed at least one wrongful act while online.
“Most Internet crimes are not reported at all because the country does not have laws for computer and Internet crimes,†the dons wrote in their findings published in the October 8, 2005 edition of a publication called the Proceedings of the World Academy of Science Engineering and Technology.
“As many as 90% of Internet users in Uganda have suffered losses caused by Internet crimes,†the study concluded. It called for massive public sensitisation and training of Ugandans on cyber crimes.
Uganda’s Internet laws
According to Isaac Kalembe, the media and public relations Specialist at the Uganda Communications Commission, three draft laws to regulate Internet use in the country have been before Cabinet since 2004.
They are: The Electronic Transaction Bill, the Electronic Signatures Bill, and the Computer Misuse Bill. “All computer operations are susceptible to computer crimes,†Kalembe says in an e-mail interview.
State minister for ICTs, Alintuma Nsambu, was recently quoted in the press, saying that the ICT laws in the pipeline would “enable us to prosecute†computer hackers.
In the United States — the birthplace and powerhouse of the Internet — the federal government has put in place a law to prosecute Internet spammers, e-mail fraudsters, and minimise sending unsolicited mails.
Under the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing, (CAN-SPAM) Act 2003, anyone who receives unsolicited e-mail, porn and commercials can complain to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the spammer is liable to prosecution. The offence carries a $11,000 (sh20m) fine or other penalties.
The law came into force in 2004, and is being enforced by the FTC while the US department of justice prosecutes the offenders.
According to www.spamlaws.com, China is the second country after the US, most plagued by the spam scourge. The problem is so immense that the Chinese and Russian governments have put in place several measures to curb Internet crime but are still grappling with the problem.
Hacking by conmen
Hacking is unauthorised access to an Internet server, computer file/database or e-mail account. Someone can hack into your computer or e-mail account without your knowledge, and they gain access to all the data you have on your files or e-mail.
The Nigerian 419 conmen sign into your e-mail and send out mails to all contacts in your address telling them that you are stuck in a foreign country and desperately need money wired via Western Union or MoneyGram.
You only get shocked when friends tell you they received ‘your mail’ and the plea for help.
Then there are those unknown e-mailers seeking your banking, phone or fax details so that their late father’s money can be deposited into your account.
Some ‘break news’ of your winning of a lottery jackpot, or having been chosen for a charity award, which you should claim quickly.
But what they want is your PIN and banking details so they can swindle your money.
Other conmen ‘invite’ you for international conferences or announce a job offer or scholarship award for which you have to pay.
SMS spam and scam
Last year while in Kampala, I received a text on my MTN line, from a scammer announcing a fake East African Breweries award (many Ugandans have received similar text messages).
I am surprised that my South African Vodacom sim, which I bought just over three months, has so far received 12 different spam and scam texts.
Here is an example of a spam text:
On March 28, I got two different spams from two different phone numbers. A text message from +27820010005 threatening me for failing to pay my TV licence (even when I do not have a TV in SA).
It read: “TV LIC no. 419278411: you have failed to settle your overdue account. It has therefore been extracted for legal action.
Facts about spam
According to www.spamlaws.com, 86% of e-mail addresses posted on websites are used by spammers to send unsolicited mails
Spam accounted for 80% of global e-mail traffic in 2004, up from 62% in 2003
Spammers and scammers harvest people’s e-mail addresses from social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, Fan book, Tagged.com, hi5 and Habbo
Spam filters are never 100% effective; they can often let in junk and bounce genuine mails.
Any server or e-mail account can be hacked into
Common traits
If the subject line of the e-mail is typed in capital letters; often having multiple exclamation marks!!!!; and at times there are >>>>> signs in the text.
The mail seeks your urgent reply.
lSender is unknown to you or the message is unbelievable
Sender claims to be writing from big organisations like UN, EU, WB, BMW, Bill Gates, AOL, BBC, Microsoft, IBM, FIFA, ADB, Euro Lottery, MSN, CIA, Yahoo!, UK Lottery Commission
Anti-spam Tips
Do not respond to spam or scam mail; just delete
Never download material from suspicious senders
Develop a habit of periodically changing your log-in password.
Keep office e-mails strictly for official use
Have different e-mail addresses for private communication with friends and for subscribing to chartrooms or social networking sites
Desist from sending chain mails; if you must send, then make sure the addressees are known to each other or conceal their addresses
Before subscribing to any site, thoroughly check its credibility; otherwise you are exposing your e-mail to spammers
Be wary of keeping contacts in your e-address book
Spam is normally sent automatically to all your contacts when you click on certain links or when scammers hack into your e-mail
IMAGINE signing into your email every time and having over 30 junk mails in your inbox, advertising all sorts of products or aiming at swindling your money.
The Internet brought us so much fun and speed of life, but now we have to spend productive time deleting spam and run the risk of being conned.
There is also the danger of your PC software or hardware going kaput because of the invading virus from a spammer or even worse, think of the millions of people (netizens) around the world being tricked everyday, and some losing a lot of money to Internet fraudsters.
Yet there is no global agency in-charge of policing the Internet, which means victims have no redress.
The Ugandan picture
A study conducted in 2005 by two lecturers of Information Communication Technology at Makerere University found that computer-related crimes in Uganda — including hacking, spam and scam — are growing at a rate of over 92% annually.
That’s almost the trend globally. Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba, the dean of the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology (CIT) Makere University, and another lecturer, Florence Tushabe, interviewed 500 Internet users in Kampala.
Of these, over 90% reported having been victims of at least one cyber crime incident and 25% confessed to having committed at least one wrongful act while online.
“Most Internet crimes are not reported at all because the country does not have laws for computer and Internet crimes,†the dons wrote in their findings published in the October 8, 2005 edition of a publication called the Proceedings of the World Academy of Science Engineering and Technology.
“As many as 90% of Internet users in Uganda have suffered losses caused by Internet crimes,†the study concluded. It called for massive public sensitisation and training of Ugandans on cyber crimes.
Uganda’s Internet laws
According to Isaac Kalembe, the media and public relations Specialist at the Uganda Communications Commission, three draft laws to regulate Internet use in the country have been before Cabinet since 2004.
They are: The Electronic Transaction Bill, the Electronic Signatures Bill, and the Computer Misuse Bill. “All computer operations are susceptible to computer crimes,†Kalembe says in an e-mail interview.
State minister for ICTs, Alintuma Nsambu, was recently quoted in the press, saying that the ICT laws in the pipeline would “enable us to prosecute†computer hackers.
In the United States — the birthplace and powerhouse of the Internet — the federal government has put in place a law to prosecute Internet spammers, e-mail fraudsters, and minimise sending unsolicited mails.
Under the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing, (CAN-SPAM) Act 2003, anyone who receives unsolicited e-mail, porn and commercials can complain to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the spammer is liable to prosecution. The offence carries a $11,000 (sh20m) fine or other penalties.
The law came into force in 2004, and is being enforced by the FTC while the US department of justice prosecutes the offenders.
According to www.spamlaws.com, China is the second country after the US, most plagued by the spam scourge. The problem is so immense that the Chinese and Russian governments have put in place several measures to curb Internet crime but are still grappling with the problem.
Hacking by conmen
Hacking is unauthorised access to an Internet server, computer file/database or e-mail account. Someone can hack into your computer or e-mail account without your knowledge, and they gain access to all the data you have on your files or e-mail.
The Nigerian 419 conmen sign into your e-mail and send out mails to all contacts in your address telling them that you are stuck in a foreign country and desperately need money wired via Western Union or MoneyGram.
You only get shocked when friends tell you they received ‘your mail’ and the plea for help.
Then there are those unknown e-mailers seeking your banking, phone or fax details so that their late father’s money can be deposited into your account.
Some ‘break news’ of your winning of a lottery jackpot, or having been chosen for a charity award, which you should claim quickly.
But what they want is your PIN and banking details so they can swindle your money.
Other conmen ‘invite’ you for international conferences or announce a job offer or scholarship award for which you have to pay.
SMS spam and scam
Last year while in Kampala, I received a text on my MTN line, from a scammer announcing a fake East African Breweries award (many Ugandans have received similar text messages).
I am surprised that my South African Vodacom sim, which I bought just over three months, has so far received 12 different spam and scam texts.
Here is an example of a spam text:
On March 28, I got two different spams from two different phone numbers. A text message from +27820010005 threatening me for failing to pay my TV licence (even when I do not have a TV in SA).
It read: “TV LIC no. 419278411: you have failed to settle your overdue account. It has therefore been extracted for legal action.
Facts about spam
According to www.spamlaws.com, 86% of e-mail addresses posted on websites are used by spammers to send unsolicited mails
Spam accounted for 80% of global e-mail traffic in 2004, up from 62% in 2003
Spammers and scammers harvest people’s e-mail addresses from social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, Fan book, Tagged.com, hi5 and Habbo
Spam filters are never 100% effective; they can often let in junk and bounce genuine mails.
Any server or e-mail account can be hacked into
Common traits
If the subject line of the e-mail is typed in capital letters; often having multiple exclamation marks!!!!; and at times there are >>>>> signs in the text.
The mail seeks your urgent reply.
lSender is unknown to you or the message is unbelievable
Sender claims to be writing from big organisations like UN, EU, WB, BMW, Bill Gates, AOL, BBC, Microsoft, IBM, FIFA, ADB, Euro Lottery, MSN, CIA, Yahoo!, UK Lottery Commission
Anti-spam Tips
Do not respond to spam or scam mail; just delete
Never download material from suspicious senders
Develop a habit of periodically changing your log-in password.
Keep office e-mails strictly for official use
Have different e-mail addresses for private communication with friends and for subscribing to chartrooms or social networking sites
Desist from sending chain mails; if you must send, then make sure the addressees are known to each other or conceal their addresses
Before subscribing to any site, thoroughly check its credibility; otherwise you are exposing your e-mail to spammers
Be wary of keeping contacts in your e-address book
Spam is normally sent automatically to all your contacts when you click on certain links or when scammers hack into your e-mail