As technology continues to become more prevalent in society, preventative measures need to be taken in order to avoid internet scams.

Scams can occur in a variety of forms including pop-up windows, e-mails, phone calls or junk mail.

Although these scams are heavily present on the internet, there are a few that are tied to Washburn University.

One is a fraudulent e-mail that is being sent to specific students stating that they have been invited to join the Washburn Honors Society.

Kiley Schmidt, a senior nursing major at Washburn University, has never personally dealt with internet scams in her time in college.

“I stay away from sites that I’m not used to being on. Whenever they pop up on my screen I don’t click on them, close them and don’t pay any attention to them. That way I’m not caught in a scam,” Schmidt said.

It is important not to trust any website that seems credible because anyone could have created it. Any website that wants personal information like a social security number is a source that you should be doubtful about.

Bryce Korf, a senior theatre major at Washburn University, came face to face with a potential internet scam when he was looking online for dachshund puppies last May.

The owners he discovered online listed themselves as being located in Lawrence or Manhattan. When Korf contacted them they stated that they actually lived in states like Minnesota or Texas.

“They told me that if I sent them the money for the puppy plus an extra $150 for shipping that they would ship me the puppy,” Korf said. “I would never give anyone money over the internet.”

There are many things a person can do to protect yourself from potential scams. Be certain to install anti-virus, anti-spam and spyware protection software on your computer and update your firewalls frequently.

One should also create intricate passwords – nothing easy like a name or birthday, and change these passwords often.

The most important thing a person can do is be aware and take extra time to examine and research the content to avoid getting caught in an internet scam.