The Internet has
quickly become a way of life. It is utilized everyday by adults and children alike. The information superhighway
is easy to use, convenient for shopping, and full of limitless information on topics such as medical diagnosis, report writing
information, and even grandma's favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes. But, it is also a gateway for criminal activity
of enormous proportion.
The Seymour Police
Department would like to provide you with some information you need to learn more about on-line
scams, fraud, and child sexual predators. By no means do we claim that the information given will keep one
safe from every on-line danger, but offer this information as a starting point for your online safety research.
A few tips:
1. NEVER accept email or open any attachments in an email from a person or company whom
you do not know. These can contain viruses which can report stored information on your computer to the sender or
even destroy your hard-drive.
2. NEVER accept an offer of money through email
unless you are familiar with the party giving it to you. Many criminals over-seas will send you a
check to have you deliver it to someone else. Most times the check will either be fake or forged. The criminal
will have you keep part of the money as a fee for delivering it. Once the money is delivered to the next account, then
the criminal has access to hard currency because of your actions.
3.
eBay frauds are very common. A fake posting will be listed on ebay in which you will bid for. The seller will
then contact you by email offering you a special deal by taking the listing off of eBay and selling directly to you.
Sometimes the seller will send emails that appear to be from eBay, but are actually fabricated. The seller will
then have you wire the money to their account which in-turn they say they will ship the item such as a car. Sometimes
they will claim that the account the money is being wired to is an eBay agent that will hold the money until the item is received.
Not all, but many cases involved in Internet crime end in the criminal being traced
to an over-seas location. Because the criminal is located outside of the State of Indiana and US National Borders,
there is nothing local, state, or federal agencies can do when it comes to making an arrest. In some cases
insurance or even banks will protect you in these cases so please bring us your information so that we can provide you with
a report to help you obtain at least a partial amount of your lost money.
