In this article, we’ll delve into the top 10 most notorious internet scams, shedding light on their tactics, impacts, and how you can protect yourself from falling victim.
Even though the internet today has helped in making things very easy for a man. The same internet has also created an avenue that has either enriched or destroyed some people.
The internet has become an integral part of our lives. From shopping to socializing, everything is just a click away.
However, with the convenience also comes the risk of falling victim to internet scams.
These scams have evolved over the years, becoming increasingly sophisticated and harder to detect.
In today’s world, most individuals and institutions make use of the internet for transacting their daily business without caring much about internet security.
Security of the internet should be the first thing to ensure before using the internet to transact business that is worth pretty much.
High security should be guaranteed in order not to fall victim just as listed below.
Table of Contents
- Top 10 Greatest Internet Scams
- 10. Russian Criminal Organization Hack
- 9. Sumitomo Mitsui Bank Robbery
- 8. Global Crime Ring $45 Million Theft With Prepaid Credit Cards
- 7. Swedish Bank Robbed With Trojan Virus
- 6. A Man-Made Away With $3 million
- 5. $1.3 Million Stolen in Bitcoin
- 4. Massive Identity Theft in Arizona
- 3. Teenagers Stole Over $200 Million
- 2. TJX 94 million Customer’s Credit Cards Exposed
- 1. Heartland Payment Systems Hack
- Conclusion
Top 10 Greatest Internet Scams
10. Russian Criminal Organization Hack
It happened in 2014 when an unknown Russian criminal organization stole about 1.2 billion usernames and passwords. It was a global hack, affecting about 420,000 websites all over the world.
The criminal organization used the information they got to distribute spam and was also willing to sell the information to be used for identity theft and financial scams.
9. Sumitomo Mitsui Bank Robbery
It was in 2004 when a group of hackers with the use of crazy spyware called keyloggers. The spyware was used to steal several account numbers and passwords from the Japanese Sumitomo Mitsui Bank office in London.
The hackers acquired about $420 million, and the money was planned to be distributed to several bank accounts before the scam was discovered.
8. Global Crime Ring $45 Million Theft With Prepaid Credit Cards
Though much information was not acquired on this scam. But a sum of about $45 million was already withdrawn before the fraud came to reality, after which eight people were caught in New York trying to withdraw $2.7 million from an ATM at different locations.
7. Swedish Bank Robbed With Trojan Virus
In this case, Nordea bank customers received phishing emails, which contained Trojans known to be keyloggers.
Any customer who received this email tries to perform an online banking transaction. The hacker will be able to extract all details used in the transaction, including username and password after which the bank customer will receive an error message saying, “Site is down.”
Then the hacker will use the extracted information and withdraw some amount of money or even make purchases.
The criminals finally made away with a total of $943,000, which was about 8 million Swedish Krona.
6. A Man-Made Away With $3 million
A great hacker called “Soldier” used a malware toolkit known as “SpyEye” to steal about $17,000 each day. Soldiers hacked into the computers of over 3,500 bank customers across three banks.
The affected banks were Bank of America, Chase, and Wells Fargo. After six months, Soldiers amassed $3.2 million in total.
5. $1.3 Million Stolen in Bitcoin
Bitcoin is a digital currency used for online transactions without involving the bank. A company known as “input.io” where people store their bitcoin was infiltrated via their host server, and the hacker involved got away with a total of 4100 BTC, which was equivalent to $1.3 million.
4. Massive Identity Theft in Arizona
Just as it is called “identity theft.” It happened in Arizona in the United States, where some of its citizens had their identities stolen.
No particular sum was stated to be taken, though, vital information was extracted and was used for fraudulent tax returns.
3. Teenagers Stole Over $200 Million
The teenagers involved had information about 411,000 credit card users. Also, the security of 47 companies, governmental organizations, and many institutions was compromised by the same teenagers.
They nearly got away with $205 million before they were caught.
They were a total of 28 teenagers, the oldest among them was only 22 years of age.
2. TJX 94 million Customer’s Credit Cards Exposed
In 2006, there was a breach of security in some online retail stores owned by TJX Companies, which exposed the information of 94 million customers’ credit cards.
The hacker responsible for this was apprehended and was given a 40-year prison sentence.
1. Heartland Payment Systems Hack
SpyWare was used to infiltrate the system of Heartland Payment System. Heartland handles credit card transactions for many businesses.
This hack had already exposed 134 million credit cards before it was discovered. Imagine if the hacker succeeded in stealing just $5 from each of these credit cards, it would have been a theft of $670 million.
Conclusion
In the ever-evolving landscape of internet scams, staying vigilant is paramount.
By recognizing the signs and practicing online safety, you can protect yourself and your loved ones from falling victim to these digital predators.
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