Nowadays, the internet is the fastest way to search some information.You should notice, that it is possible to spend even more than one hour on the internet when you just wanted to see something for 5 minutes.
in today’s world internet is our best friend .Every coin has two sides ,as the internet is spreading very fast as also online scams are too.we truly want to believe that the Internet is a safe place where you can’t fall for all types of online scams, but it’s always a good reminder to do a “reality check”. We, humans, can become an easy target for malicious actors who want to steal our most valuable personal data.
According to a report from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC),The research finds that “40 percent of adults age 20-29 who have reported fraud ended up losing money in a fraud case”.Victims lost over $1.4 billion in online fraud in 2017.
EXAMPLE:
Malware notification via Facebook:
Would like to report an internet scam that happened to me .On the night of 22 April 2015, while surfing the net (I was on facebook) my pc washit by a virus,it came in the form of a mini screen and a recorded message telling me that malware had been found on my pc and provided a phone number so that a specialist will help me.The interesting part is that the phone number provided was an Auckland number ( 09-887-9351) .Knowing that it is a scam I tried to get rid of that virus to no avail, I then called a friend who is a pc specialist , he called that number and a young man with an Indian accent answered, after asking few questions he told him to go to google and type: ” support me”, then a list came up, he said that we should log into the first site up ( called :logmein123.com) a screen came up requiring a password which he provided ( it was 143 576).At this stage we stopped and knowing that logging in means they will have full control over my pc.
This is how online scams works……
Type of online scams:
1.Hitman scam
2.Bitcoin scams
3.Phishing email scams
4.Bank loan or credit card scam
5.Lottery scam
6.Tech Support Online Scams
7.Romance scam
8.Fake antivirus software
9.Travel scams
10.Fake news scam
1. Hitman scam:
One of the most frequent Internet scams you can meet online .Cyber criminals will send you an email threatening to extort money from you. This type of online scam may come in various forms, such as the one threatening that they will kidnap a family member unless a ransom is paid in a time frame provided by the scammers.That’s why it’s not safe to provide any sensitive or personal information about you on social media channels. It might seem like a safe and private place,where you’re only surrounded by friends, but in reality, you can never know for sure who’s watching you.
2. Bitcoin scams:
If you (want to) invest in Bitcoin technology, we advise you to be aware of online scams. Digital wallets can be open to hacking and scammers take advantage of this new technology to steal sensitive data.Bitcoin transactions should be safe, but these five examples of Bitcoin scams show how they happen and how you can lose your money.
The most common online scams to watch out for:
Fake Bitcoin exchanges
Ponzi schemes
Everyday scam attempts
Malware
3.Phishing Scams:
phishing scams are based on communication made via email or on social networks.In many cases, cyber criminals will send users messages/emails by trying to trick them into providing them valuable and sensitive data ( login credentials – from bank account, social network, work account, cloud storage)that can prove to be valuable for them.Moreover, these emails will seem to come from an official source.
4. Bank loan or credit card scam:
People can be easily scammed by “too good to be true” bank offers that might guarantee large amounts of money and have already been pre-approved by the bank. If such an incredible pre-approved loan is offered to you, ask yourself:
“How is it possible for a bank to offer you such a large sum of money without even checking and analyzing your
financial situation?”
5. Lottery scam:
This is another classic Internet scam which doesn’t seem to get old. A lottery scam comes as an email message informing you that you won a huge amount of money and, in order to claim your prize or winnings, you need to pay some small fees.Lucky you, right?! It doesn’t even matter that you don’t recall ever purchasing lottery tickets.Since it addresses some of our wildest fantasies, such as quitting our jobs and living off the fortune for the rest of our lives, without ever having to work again, our imagination falls prey easily to amazing scenarios someone can only dream of.
6.Tech Support Online Scams:
Here’s another online scam that is common and you need to be extra careful. The next time your smartphone rings and you don’t know the number, think twice before answering. Maybe it’s not your friend on the other If someone else would have fallen prey for this online scam, things would have gone even further. The so-called tech scammers could persuade the potential victim to give them remote access to the system. To “help” the victim, scammers mention about additional software that is required to be installed and victims need to pay for these software victims, hence, provide credit card details. end of the phone, maybe it’s the scammer!
7.Online dating (romance) scams:
As the Internet plays an important role in our social lives, with apps like Facebook or Instagram we access everyday, it’s inevitable to use apps to look for love as well.Online dating apps are very popular these days and they are a great way to meet your future life partners. I have actually an example with a friend of mine who was lucky enough to find her future husband on a dating site.But not all scenarios have a “happy end” like this one, and you need to be very careful because you never know who can you meet.
8. Fake antivirus software:
We all saw at least once this message on our screens: “You have been infected! Download antivirus X right now to protect your computer!”Many of these pop-ups were very well created to look like legitimate messages that you might get from Windows or any other security product.
If you are not so lucky, your system can end up getting infected with malware, such as a Trojan or a keylogger. This kind of message could also come from one of the most dangerous ransomware threats around, such as CryptoLocker, which is capable of blocking and encrypting your operating system and requesting you a sum of money in exchange for the decryption key.
9.Travel scams:
These scams are commonly used during hot summer months or before the short winter vacations, for Christmas or New Year’s Day.Here’s how it happens: you receive an email containing an amazing offer for an exceptional and hard to refuse destination (usually anexotic place) that expires in a short period of time which you can’t miss. If it sounds too good to be true, it might look like a travel scam, so don’t fall for it!
10.Fake news scam:
The spread of fake news on the Internet is a danger to all of us because it has an impact on the way we filter all the information we found and read on social media. It’s a serious problem that should concern our society, mostly for the misleading resources and content found online, making it impossible for people to distinguish between what’s real and what is not.
Conclusion:
Since some scams are so well organized and really convincing, and people behind them so difficult to catch,
we need to always keep our guard up. Stay informed about the latest scamming strategies.
Have you met some of the above scams while browsing or in your email inbox? What were the most convincing
ones?
