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information over the internet either through phishing or pharming. Phishing and pharming are the
most popular ways through which internet fraud takes place (Anderson & Keith 4). However,
certain measures have been put up in order to safeguard people from becoming victims of
phishing by some financial institutions. People can prevent themselves from becoming victims of
online fraud by avoiding links that accompany an email which seeks to direct them to suspicious
web pages. People can also refrain from completing strange forms in email messages which
usually require personal financial information such as credit cards. In essence, they should
understand that financial institutions hardly request for confidential information via regular
emails. Additionally, internet users can always ensure that they use secure websites when
submitting sensitive information through web browsers. Besides, they can also install web
browser tool bars to protect them from suspicious phishing websites (Bose 24).
Internet users can also exercise caution to phishing by often checking their bank credit and
debit card statements to confirm the legitimacy of their transactions. Furthermore, they can also
ensure to update their web browsers regularly as well as exercising some suspicion for all prompt
emails which require personal financial information. Above all, internet users can also guarantee
their safety from internet fraud by ensuring that they install antivirus software in their computers
to prevent fraudsters from maliciously hacking into their devices to access personal information
(Leyden & John 4). In conclusion, though conducting activities over the internet seem to bring a
lot of convenience to many, people should exercise preventive measures against internet
fraudsters. Particularly, this can achieved by refraining from giving out sensitive information to
suspicious prompts from unauthentic sources.
