Criminals Snare Savvy Buyers With Sophisticated
July 1, Tennessean(National)

Web scams. Online auction fraud is the most common, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Last year, the agency received 206,884 complaints about crimes perpetrated over the Internet, amounting to a record of nearly $240 million in losses, a $40 million increase from the year before. The criminals themselves have become more sophisticated in recent years, according to law enforcement. Some are working in international gangs, many of which are in Eastern Europe, where access to affordable technology is combined with high unemployment and weak law enforcement, according to the supervisory special agent for the FBI’s cyber crime squad in Nashville and Memphis. In Tennessee, 9,920 consumers told the Federal Trade Commission they were victims of fraud last year, a 44 percent increase from the previous year. The better criminals are getting people to click on Web sites that secretly install software to track
your movements. That software, totally undetected by the user, can find out your bank account and passwords when you pay your bills online or handle other financial transactions.

Source: The Tennessean.com