and help them prevent Identity Theft

Antivirus Software
Software that is installed locally on a personal computer or server which detects incoming emails for viruses and it prevents infection of a virus which could install software or script allowing your computer to become infected.

Bin Raiding or Dumpster Diving
Looking in bins to find information that may be useful in committing fraud.

Bizopps
Short for business opportunities. Usually the website or website owner will claim substantial earnings for very little effort.

Click Fraud
Fraudsters build websites showing advertising from other companies. When these adverts are clicked it costs the company money, and the website owner benefits. Teams of clickers from around the world have a network of websites from which to benefit.

Drive by Download
When visiting a website, or reading an email it is possible that a program will be installed automatically on your computer. Using a firewall can help detect and prevent the program for working correctly.

Email Harvester
A program that searches Internet newsgroups, websites and forums looking for and cataloguing peoples email addresses. These email addresses will be added to a large database which can then be sold on and used to spam people.

Encryption
When storing data, ideally the data should be stored in a way in which other people cannot read it as the data has been scrambled. If the data becomes lost (on a CD, or removable device) the data should be in a state that cannot be read unless they have the correct keys to decode it.

Exposure
When data is exposed to someone who should not see it the data security will be compromised.

Filter
A software program which filters certain websites from individuals. It may prevent certain types of software from installing also.

Firewall
A hardware device or software program that only allows certain programs to contact the Internet. The Firewall asks the user of the PC the first time a program contacts the Internet if it is OK for it to communicate with the Internet. It helps prevent rogue software from stealing your information.

Hacker
A person or group of people working with the intent to gain access to another computer systems secure data.

Hidden Diallers
A software program that is installed on a computer that can utilise your built in modem to dial high cost phone lines, leaving you with a very large phone bill.

Identity Theft
Stealing another persons identity in order for them to obtain financial or gain personally from pretending to be someone else.

Internet Fraud
Using the Internet to obtain property, money or credit by means of deception.

Keystroke Logger
A software program that is installed onto your computer which allows another person to see what you are typing. The details could include such things as bank details, addresses, email addresses and personal information that can be used to commit online and offline fraud.

Malware
Short for malicious software. The software can include viruses, programs which look useful from the outside, but are doing other things behind the scenes like collecting information about you.

Personal Information
Any information that is only known to you, particularly about yourself. This information in the wrong hands can be used to commit fraud.

Pharming
This is a system in which hackers alter DNS records at server centres to redirect legitimate traffic to proper websites to illegitimate websites owned by the hacking community whose main purpose is to con you into giving you your private information. Pharming is more difficult to detect as your Internet browser appears to be operating normally.

Phishing
A way in which websites are setup which pretend to be real bank or building society websites, however they are only copies and the phishers main intent is to obtain your bank account, pin numbers, passwords and pass phrases.

Phreaker
A hacker whose main interest in hacking telephone systems.

Privacy Policy
Any website that collects user and visitor information needs to inform to visitor what the owners of the website intend to do with the data that they collect.

Skimming
A system that allows a person to copy someone else's credit card details, either over the phone, internet or under the counter.

Spam
Any piece of email that is usually sent to many hundreds of people at once with the main intent of selling things. The email was not usually requested in the first place.

Spam Zombies
A PC or server that has been infected by a program that sends out spam email to other people. Usually the owner of the system is totally unaware that the system is compromised. The receiver of the email does not usually know the original true sender of the message.

Spammer
The person or organisation that is responsible for sending unsolicited email.

Spoofing
A website that pretends to be a real and legitimate website of a company.

Spyware
A piece of software that can do a number of things including recording key strokes, receiving advertising popups, and redirection to other websites.

Trojans
A software program that can be introduced to the computer with a virus. Some trojans allow the computer to act as a spam relay.

Virus
A virus is introduced to a computer with intent to cause damage data or steal data which could be used in identity fraud.

Vishing
Vishers use technology used for Voice over IP phone calls to try to get users to part with personal information

Worm
A program that can self replicate across networks through data ports and lacks security policies.