Protect Yourself From Online Fraud Buying from illegal sites puts you at risk By B. W. McCarron Managing Editor 10/31/2020
If someone you didn't know asked you to hand over your credit card, woud you do it? Or would you willingly give your valuable credit history to a person whom you suspected wasn't on the up and up? Or instead, would you allow someone you didn't know or trust to access every piece of information on your computer or smartphone?
While anyone in their right mind would answer "No" to these questions, this situation happens time and time again when magic bargain hunters blindly trust illegal websites who steal the works of authors and publishers.
The old saying "penny wise and pound foolish" comes to mind, when the customer discovers that they bought more than they intended—in the form of computer malware, identity theft and credit card fraud. It's doubly sad when the victim willingly provided their name, home address, email address, phone number and credit card information to the crooks.
These websites might appear authentic at first glance, with icons from respected payment companies proudly displayed. But they are just that—icons—with no underlying link to verify the site's reputation pr trust. Anyone can obtain a website these days, which is why these online pirates get gullible shoppers to spend their money for illegal copies of copyrighted products.
We want to make it easy for you to obtain authentic print and digital books produced by Magic World Publishers. As we don't sell directly to customers, we allow sales only through the following authorized resellers:
When you purchase from an unauthorized source, you take away legitimate income from the authorized reseller, royalty income for the author, wholesale revenue for Magic World Publishers, and tax revenue for local, state and federal governments. You also put your credit information at risk of being stolen. You are supporting online piracy, copyright violation, and criminal enterprise. You may also be supporting terrorism, as terrorist activities are often funded through illegal activities.
As tempting as it may be to save a few bucks by purchasing unlicensed content, it will catch up with you sooner or later. And believe me, it's no fun to work with your bank, mortgage lender, law enforcement, and your various other creditors to try and contain the damage. Not to mention spending hours or days without access to your computer and valuable data, as an expert attempts to remove the malware (which is not always successful).
If you've unknowingly purchased illegal content or merchandise, you should immediately contact your financial institution. You may also wish to contact the nearest branch office of the FBI.
As a public service, we're offering the following resources for you to help fight online crime.
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