What does this scam term mean?

Cybercriminals are actively updating their methods to exploit the technologies that we all depend on for practically every aspect of our lives. The best way to stay ahead of these criminals is to learn how the devices we love are exploited. This glossary covers scams and frauds commonly seen on the internet, computers, telephone, and mail:

• Adware – A type of software that often comes with free downloads. Some adware displays ads on your computer, while some monitor your computer usage (including websites visited) and displays targeted advertisements based on your activity while browsing.
• Advance Fee – Scammer requests money upfront or personal information in exchange for goods or services, and sometimes rewards that they never deliver. They come up with convincing reasons for their request, such as fees or taxes. They often ask for payment by wire transfer or prepaid cards. These scams are commonly mass marketed by scammers, sending them out by the thousands to people all over the world, usually by mail or email.
• Bots – Internet robots, also known as spiders, crawlers, and web bots. While they may be utilized to perform repetitive tasks, such as indexing a search engine, they often come in the form of malware and are used to gain total control over a computer or network.
• Browser Hijacker – A common spyware program that changes your web browser’s home page automatically, even if you change it back.
• Cookies – A small text file that a website can place on your computer’s hard drive to collect information about your activities on the site or to allow other capabilities on the site.
• Cramming – The illegal placement of unauthorized charges on your telephone bill for unrequested services or calls not made.
• Firewall – Hardware or software that helps keep hackers from using your computer to send out your personal information without your permission. Firewalls watch for outside attempts to access your system and block communications to and from sources you do not permit.
• Hidden Dialer – Programs that you may unknowingly download that can use your computer to silently dial expensive phone calls which later show up on your phone bill.
• IP Address – Short for Internet Protocol Address, it is the identifying number for hardware connected to a network. Having an IP address allows a device to communicate with other devices over an IP-based network like the internet.
• Instant Messages – (IM) – Technology, like a chat room, notifies a user when a friend is online, allowing them to “converse” by exchanging text messages.
• Key Logger – A computer program that records every keystroke made by a computer user, especially for hackers to gain fraudulent access to passwords and online banking information.
• Malware – Malicious software was created to make money illegally by stealing sensitive information off the victim’s computer. A type of computer virus program that cybercriminals use, typically to steal valuable files and accounts.
• Online Profiling – Compiling information about consumers’ preferences and interests by tracking their online movements and actions to create targeted ads.
• Phishing – The use of authentic-looking emails, often purporting to be from a bank or government agency, to trick you into responding with sensitive personal data.
• Pharming – The fraudulent practice of directing Internet users to a bogus website that mimics the appearance of a legitimate one — even though you have correctly entered the web address of a site you want to visit. The software stealthily diverts you to a look-alike destination, typically intending to gather personal information for identity theft.
• Pop-ups – Forms of online advertising that suddenly appears in the foreground of the screen. It shows up when you open some websites, the major role of popping ads is to drive web traffic and capture email addresses, but some may contain viruses, malware, spyware, adware, and worms. Web browsers like Opera have an ad blocker to prevent such from entering and infecting your hard drive.
• Ransomware – A malicious computer program that restricts or disables your computer and then demands, typically via a pop-up window, that you pay a fee to fix the problem.
• Scareware – A type of malware that displays on-screen warnings of nonexistent computer infections or generates constant pop-ups intended to trick you into buying useless or potentially dangerous “protection” software.
• Spam – Unsolicited commercial email, often sent in bulk quantities. Also see zombies, below.
• Skimming – The capturing of information from the magnetic stripe on your debit or credit card by use of a portable “skimmer” device that is secretly installed on card-reading machines, like an ATM or gas pump.
• Smishing – SMS (short message service) a technology used in cellphone messaging and is the fraudulent practice of sending text messages purporting to be from reputable companies to persuade individuals to reveal their personal information, such as passwords or credit card numbers.
• Social Engineering – The art of manipulating people so they give up confidential information. The types of information these criminals are seeking can vary, but when individuals are targeted, they are usually trying to trick you into giving them your password, bank info, or access to your computer to secretly install malicious software that will give them access to your banking credentials and control over your computer.
• Spoofing – Any situation in which scammers masquerade as a specific person, business, or agency. The term is typically used to describe the manipulation of telephone Caller ID to display a false name or number for the caller.
• Spyware – A malware program installed on a computer or cellphone designed to track usage, collect information, or enable unauthorized users to send out spam emails, without your knowledge. This software program if installed without your consent will monitor your activity, send pop-up ads, redirect your computer or cellphone to certain websites and record keystrokes, which could lead to identity theft.
• Virus – A computer program that can replicate itself and spread from computer to computer or file to file. It comes to life only when you take a specific action, such as running a particular program.
• Vishing – Like phishing, it uses pre-recorded messages to telephones — usually claiming to be from a bank to trick you into revealing personal or account information for identity theft. Many victims of voice phishing are not tech-savvy.
• Worm – A program that reproduces itself over a network and can use up your computer’s resources and possibly shut your system down without any action by you.
• Zombies – Not the kind on late-night TV movies, but a type of computer virus that infects your pc and causes it to secretly send out spam emails by the millions. The spammer controls and uses your pc without your knowledge.
• Trojan horse – Software that is hidden within apparently harmless data — or masquerades as a regular program — and when activated, can deliver such blows as corrupting data on your hard drive or sending files and account information to hackers. Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not self-replicate and spread to other computers.
• Learn more Malware: Difference Between Computer Viruses, Worms and Trojans – YouTube: