Online scams – usually attempted via e-mail – can be prevented if users pay attention to a few important details. Scammers usually leave clear footprints in their phony e-mails.

Scammers follow a standard rote. In most cases, they use household names and send bogus e-mails offering promotions and advantages. In other cases, they ask victims to enter their personal data in an attempt to get access to private information. Scammers now even use irony, including valid security warnings that win the addresses' trust and facilitate the con.

See, ahead, some of the most common traits of false e-mails used in online scams:

Improper grammar and unformatted text
Fraudulent e-mails often include improper grammar and spelling or odd text layout, usually in HTML. These are signs that the e-mail is probably false, as legitimate firms are cautious to send properly written and formatted text.

Odd URLs *
Scammers usually include Web addresses (URLs) in their phony e-mails to get information on victims. Some take pains to create addresses very similar to those of the company they impersonate, but the scam can be still detected. For example, instead of www.bankname.com.br, the false link might be www.bankname-sp.com.br.

Sites on free webhosting services **
Legitimate firms do not host their Websites on free servers like HpG, Geocities, Lycos, Kit.Net or Gratisweb. Therefore, if you get an email redirecting you to a page on any such service, be wary. Firms usually have their own domains.

Requests to forward the e-mail to "as many people as possible"
Online scammers use different means to disseminate their phony messages and, often, ask the victims themselves to spread the con, including an expression such as "send to all your friends" in the e-mail. Firms that advertise over the Web use their own data banks to send e-mails and never resort to this step.

This Offer is only Valid for the Internet
Some firms do make offers that are only valid for the Internet. Where legitimate, they provide the addressee with a telephone number. E-mail scams often state that an offer is only valid for the Internet in an attempt to prevent the victim from getting in touch with the legitimate firm and finding out that the offer is a scam.

Furthermore, web surfers should be cautious of offers that require providing personal information, clicking on links or downloading files. The recommended course of action is to ignore such offers or get in touch with the firm supposedly in charge to check for legitimacy. If you take the steps above, you will be safer and able to navigate the Web's digital pitfalls.

* URL (Universal Resource Location or Uniform Resource Locator): A Web page's address. This is what tells the browser what web page the user wants to access, such as: http://www.serasa.com.br

** Examples of bogus Websites on free hosting servers:
www.firm.hpg.ig.com
www.firm.kit.net
www.geocities.com/firm

Article source: "Confira dicas para evitar golpes online", InfoGuerra:
http://informatica.terra.com.br/virusecia/spam/interna/0,,OI280965-EI2403,00.html