Despite our best efforts, it's always a good idea to take a "reality check" when it comes to the internet. Malicious actors who wish to steal our most valuable personal data can take advantage of us, the human race. Our private lives, our homes, and our offices are more vulnerable to criminals than ever before. We are powerless to stop it.
According to a survey, it is more alarming that millennials are more susceptible to internet scams than the elderly. 40 percent of persons aged 20-29 who reported fraud lost money due to a fraud case. Malicious actors use a variety of methods to get unwanted access to our private information and financial data. Our money is their ultimate goal, and they will do anything to achieve it. Use the links below to go quickly through the list of internet frauds that you should avoid at this time.
Email phishing scams
More than one-third of all security incidents begin with phishing emails or harmful attachments sent to employees. Malicious actors could gain access to essential data through phishing scams, which are constantly evolving. Phishing attacks can have devastating impacts. Therefore it's essential to learn how to recognize and prevent them. Phishing frauds make use of electronic communication, such as email or social networking sites. To deceive people into submitting valuable and sensitive data (login credentials – from a bank account, social network, work account, cloud storage), cybercriminals would send messages/emails. They will also appear to be coming from a government agency (like bank institutions or other financial authorities, legitimate companies, or social networks representatives for users.) They'll do this by getting you to click on a specific (and dangerous) link and enter a website that appears to be legitimate but is, in fact, controlled by them through social engineering. If you click on the link, you'll be taken to a false login page that looks like the actual website. If you fail to pay attention, you may wind up disclosing your login credentials and other personal data. As we've seen, many spam email operations have leveraged phishing as the primary attack vector to propagate financial and data-stealing malware. Scammers generate a sense of urgency to increase their success rate. A terrible scenario will be told about how your bank account is in danger and how you must access a site as quickly as possible to authenticate your identity or your account. They then use them to hack into your real bank account, or they can sell them on the dark web to other parties. A clever email hoax is making the rounds, and you should be very wary of falling victim to it.
Scams involving credit cards or bank loans
As a result, bank offers that seem too good to be accurate and have been pre-approved by the bank can simply be used to defraud people. How can a bank approve you for such a significant sum of money without even examining your financial situation? People that paid the "necessary" processing costs demanded by the scammers have lost money, even though it may seem implausible. To prevent becoming a victim of a business loan scam, stay on the lookout for these nine warning signals and cunning tactics: The Identity Theft Resources Center reported in recent research that the number of credit and debit card breaches increased in the past year. As a precautionary measure, consider:
Impersonation scams on Facebook (hijacked profile scam)
Facebook. Everyone is buzzing about the Cambridge Analytica incident, in which the corporation harvested millions of users' personal data without their consent. This social media network is still the most popular and is used daily to stay in touch with friends and coworkers. Unfortunately, it has also become a prime location for internet scammers to find victims to prey upon. Cybercriminals could break into your account and obtain access to your closest friends and family members if you allow them. Everyone does not want to see it happen. For the same reasons that you protect your banking or email account, you should be equally diligent in safeguarding personal accounts online. If you're worried about your Facebook security, these tips may help.
I recommend reading our comprehensive guide on Facebook security and privacy to improve your online privacy.
Scams that promise quick Money (Economic scams)
Cybercriminals will try to trick you into thinking that you can generate money quickly and easily on the internet. They'll make you promises about occupations that don't exist, as well as strategies and methods for being wealthy rapidly. Especially in times of financial hardship, it is a simple and effective strategy. Like the romantic fraud described above, cybercriminals appeal to victims' emotional side. For a wide range of positions, internet criminals publish fictitious job postings. By promising a well-paid job in a short amount of time, the victim is enticed into disclosing their personal information and financial information using several types of jobs, such as work-at-home scams.
Conclusion
We must be vigilant at all times since some scams are incredibly well-organized and convincing, and their perpetrators are pretty tough to catch. Keep up with the latest scamming techniques. Have you come across any of the above scams during your online browsing or in your email inbox? Submit your experiences with Save From Frauds: Click Here