Internet Fraud:

“Internet fraud” is often also known as “online fraud”, and involves the use of internet based and data storage communication technologies by criminals and fraudsters. Some of the devices used to commission a fraudulent act online involve the use of emails and email accounts, websites and chatrooms or other bulletin board type environments and social networking sites. These are utilised to induce or acquire in an underhanded way, personal information from victims whose financial or banking interests are fleeced. Some of the most common types of internet fraud include the following:

• Internet banking fraud 
  Banking fraud is a criminal activity aimed at transferring money from one account to another. This is a type of theft, where an innocent party is deprived of his or her money by a fraudster using internet and telecommunications technology. 

• Mobile banking
  Mobile phones and tablet computers can be vulnerable to internet banking fraud. Individuals with poor security arrangements or whose personal information is easy to obtain (so as to gain access to private and restricted information) are particularly vulnerable to banking fraud conducted over wireless devices.
   
• Mule recruitment
  This is an activity which involves luring an unsuspecting innocent party to receive stolen or misappropriated funds from another source, into their bank account, before it is transferred to a third party account. Often, some gratuitous payment is offered for the service so as to attract the innocent party who is exploited as a middle man in a criminal enterprise aimed at money laundering.
   
• Shopping and auction site fraud
  Legal advice can be useful to ensure that those participating in auctions are not in reach of legal requirements or do not fall victim to fraud. In the event any communication is made online, it is important to ensure that secure payment systems are used and that suspicious links and attachments forwarded by email are avoided
  
  
• Various scams
  A popular scam is often in the form of a “419 scam”. This is where a person purporting to be a particular individual (wealthy family member, government official, a lottery etc) lures an innocent party into accepting what is known as an “illegal advance fee” for a large monetary transfer from overseas. The scam operates by engaging in correspondence with the intended victim and eventually requesting personal banking or financial detail after a rapport is established and the victim begins to trust the fraudster as a legitimate individual making a legitimate offer. The scam works by offering a large amount of money to the victim, but requiring that the victim first provide funds for various administrative steps that are needed to release the advance fee.
  
  
• Identity theft
  This is a very serious form of fraud because it can have far reaching consequences for the life, reputation and business of an individual. Identity theft is essentially the hijacking of a person’s identity which can then be used for any number of criminal purposes. Personal identifying information is collected, and this can be used to establish a mask under which criminals operate exposing their victim to the immediate consequences of their actions. For this reason, it is essential that identifying information needs to be kept under strictly secure conditions and should not be distributed or published freely. Any website, email or any person in a chatroom or bulletin board who asks for information should be approached with extreme care. They could be fishing for data that can be used to create a profile under which a criminal operation may be run.

More information about other areas of internet fraud can be found in our section on “Hacking, Phising and Phreaking” Another area of concern is spam and the provisions of the Spam Act 2003 (Cth). More information about this can be found in our section on the “Spam”.

It is important to contact the authorities immediately after discovering that you are or may have been the victim of internet fraud. In the event that personal information has been gleaned in whatever way from you, that information leak can be every harmful to your interests.

Should you find yourself in a situation where you may be involved in legal proceedings concerning internet fraud, there are a number of important legal considerations that may need to be thought about before taking steps in your matter. Our internet fraud lawyers have been assisting people for over a decade and we have the experience and expertise required to guide you through your problem. 

If you would like to discuss any of the issues briefly outlined above, you can contact our firm by telephone on (02) 9233 4048 or email us at info@navado.com.au to arrange a meeting with one of our internet fraud solicitors. 

This webpage (and any material or wording appearing on this webpage) is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute any Legal Advice. It does not take into account your objectives, your instructions or all of the relevant facts and/or circumstances. Navado accepts no responsibility to any person who relies on the information provided on this website. We further refer you to our Disclaimer.