Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger
never click on a link in e-mail or browsing online, and something was just not? The domain name in the address bar was out a letter or two? Or a word was misspelled? Maybe there was a number thrown in for good measure? This is either cybersquatting or typosquatting, and it is a problem.
Cybersquatting is the act of obtaining someone else's online brand name brand, either as dot com or any other extension based US. Cybersquatters squat for many reasons, including for fun, because they hope to sell the domain name, they use the field of advertising of goods competition, harassment, harassment or outright fraud. the social media identity theft, or grabbing someone else's name given on social networks, is another form of cybersquatting or when it occurs on Twitter, Twitter squatting.
In particularly malicious cybersquatting cases, identity thieves will use a similar field to that of a bank to create a spoofed website for phishing. If the domain is not available, typo-squatting is the best option. After Annualcreditreport.com launched more than 200 similar areas were quickly snapped up.
This is one more reason to actively protect you against identity theft.
This week, Computerworld discussed the havoc that cybersquatting can have on the reputation of a brand. Sometimes, criminals copy the entire site of a brand in order to collect usernames and passwords of visitors without their knowledge. Then the pirates will test these names and passwords on other sites. Cybersquatting rose 18% last year, with documented cybersquatting 440.584 websites in the fourth quarter alone, the report of the annual Brandjacking index of MarkMonitor.
intellectual property owners can sue cybersquatters under the Federal Law on Protection Anticybersquatting consumers, but it is expensive and the damage is limited to $ 100,000. They can try to shut down sites containing copyrighted content under the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and in some cases, they might be able to prosecute offenders in cases of abuse of the brand under the provisions of the Act (trademark) Lanham.
I have already written about that time, I was accused of cybersquatting. I was not, I swear! It was the early '90s, and I had a Consultant 3.1 Microsoft operating system IBM PS1 and a rockin' 150MB hard drive. I bought domains. I sold some, others, unfortunately I gave up. And there was one that will haunt me "until the day I die.
I LEDZEPPELIN.com property for about 5-6 years. Led Zeppelin was and is my group, and as a fan, I bought the domain name as a souvenir. I get emails from people all over the world, saying things like: "I'm Paulo in Brazil, I love Led Zep"
Then, when Clinton passed a law later making! illegal cybersquatting, I knew it was only a matter of time. I've had it for five years before someone from the team of the group of lawyers approached me about it. and when they did I did not know how to handle it. And my lawyer at the time, even less. in the end, I gave up without a fight, but I'm sure the lawyers of the charged group for thick book of an inch of a trial served with me. Sorry, guys. My bad.
in this case, the lawyers saw an opportunity to build a case against me, a fan would have been happy with a stupid guitar pick Jimmy. instead I sat in silence for a year then they built a huge case for why they should own the field. When served, I freaked out and have called them, shouting that they could take, I never wanted that.
One of the few regrets. But I have a nice one inch thick memory all around me and the band and why I'm an idiot.
Anyway, with Cybersquatting on the rise, it makes sense to call your name, brand name, and the names of your children on social networking sites and domain names soon as possible. Just in case you get famous, you do not want to have to fight a twit like me.
must also protect your identity by obtaining a credit freeze in ConsumersUnion.org. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. You should also consider investing in identity theft protection. All forms of protection against identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk.
Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses domain names stolen on Fox News.
Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, an expert on identity theft, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 and start-up companies as a consultant on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. the thoughts and advice of Siciliano on all these issues often appear in both television and print media news, including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of safety training as a member of the American Society for Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on high alert; How to take control of your personal safety and to prevent fraud . He also established a partnership with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness of the growing threat of identity theft and provide tips on how you can protect yourself.