Avoiding Online Fraud - Mission Possible!

Today more and more people use their computers for pretty much everything - from communicating with friends and family to online shopping, investing and banking. This all makes life a lot easier, yet at the same time we open ourselves up to hackers, crackers and various scams.

Online Fraud

These days, stories of online fraud, identity theft and phishing scams appear on the news so often that many of us don't pay attention anymore. And that is a big mistake. The Association for Payment Clearing Services revealed that in 2007, banking losses due to online fraud totalled £22.6 million. And there were 20,682 reported phishing incidents in the UK in the first half of 2008 alone. Bear in mind that many people choose not to report the crime.

Bank officials urge their customers to be wary of online scams, such as suspicious emails claiming to be from the bank, and to use only a fully protected PC with regularly updated anti-virus software and enabled firewall. These measures are effective, but are not enough. There are dangers where caution and even a regularly updated anti-virus can't fight.

Auslogics BoostSpeed at http://www.auslogics.com/pcsecurity is not only a computer performance optimization suite, it also includes a number of very useful security applications. It offers advanced protection where anti-virus software can't help.

Track Eraser

Every time you visit a website or open a file, a record is created on your computer. If someone gets access to this information, they can find out a lot about you - your browsing preferences, which online stores you use, and maybe even something that can jeopardise your reputation or finances. Auslogics Track Eraser protects your privacy by removing all the tracks and history from your computer. Run it on a regular basis to not leave any sensitive information behind.

File Shredder and Disk Wiper

Another danger is deleted files. Simply deleting them doesn't make them go for good. They are only "forgotten" by your system, but in fact remain somewhere on your hard drive. It's quite easy to "undelete" them and for them to be used in ways you probably will not be happy to find out about. But if you delete a file, a folder or the Recycle Bin contents with File Shredder, you can be sure that they will be impossible to recover.

Auslogics Disk Wiper works in a very similar way. It also ensures that files cannot be recovered. While File Shredder deletes files and folders, Disk Wiper literally clean-wipes your hard disk free space. Deleting files and erasing traces of them in such a way makes it nearly impossible for hackers to get hold of any sensitive information that they can use to commit fraud or steal your identity.

PC Security

You may wonder how hackers can access your computer. Actually, it's easier than you think. Windows XP and newer versions include services that make it possible to access your computer remotely and bombard you with spam. Of course, these services were not designed for this purpose, but criminals find them pretty useful. These services are called Remote Registry and Messaging Service. Using Auslogics PC Security helps check whether your firewall is enabled, anti-virus is up to date and your system patched. But most importantly, it disables Remote Registry and Messaging Service, thus protecting you from possible attacks.

No one leaves their house with the front door left wide open. And nobody walks around with their bank account number printed on their T-shirt either. But when it comes to computer security, people are often too careless. The more attention you pay to computer security, the less chance you will be the next online fraud victim.

Download Auslogics BoostSpeed from http://www.auslogics.com/pcsecurity.

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