Scams are pretty much widespread nowadays. What is particularly disturbing is the fact that more and more people are coming up with different ways to scam others. Come to think of it, scammers are utilizing all means possible – text messaging, phone calls, emails, social media and a whole lot more. If you look at it close enough, you can conclude that scammers are tech-savvy individuals. Technically, scams are defined as disguised offers made to unsuspecting individuals who aim to mislead as they take away important information such as valuable passwords, credit card numbers, banking and PIN numbers so that they could ultimately steal money.
The truth is that nobody is really safe. If you are confident enough that you would not be duped by these tricks, think again. Scammers typically send messages which appear as though they hail from regarded financial institutions like banks, Paypal, Visa, eBay and America Online. They have the correct logo and everything. From the outset, they appear to be 100% legitimate. But once you delve deeper, you will ultimately notice discrepancies. Sadly, despite numerous warnings regarding these scams, there are people who continue to fall for it.
Are you worried now? That is a valid emotion. But the good news is that there are things that you can do in order to protect yourself from scams and scammers. Here are some of them:
- Tip 1-
Do not open an email if you do not personally know the sender. But scammers are well aware of this so they do the next best thing: they hack into your friend’s email account and send you an email using your friend’s name. When you open the email and click on the link that is purportedly from your friend, then the trouble begins. Something as simple as clicking on a link found in the email’s body may ultimately result in your financial downfall. Before you know it, the scammer has already gained access to your bank account and other personal information which can be a foundation for identity theft. Practice extra caution when it comes to your emails. Do not store important passwords in your computer.
- Tip 2-
Watch out for emails that request for personal information such as your birth date, your parents’ name, bank account numbers and passwords. Do not just divulge any personal information such as social security numbers or credit card numbers over the internet.
- Tip 3-
Be cautious with messages that seem as though they are from PayPal, Facebook, or other well known websites. Frequently, these messages are routed to an alternate gathering site that makes them look official. But the truth is, these sites are truly run by scammers. To help prevent this, manually type the website’s address straight into your browser.
- Tip 4-
Look for typos or spelling oversights. Scam specialists are really brilliant, but there are those who have failed fundamental syntax. If you noticed that the message has numerous typographical errors or linguistic lapses, chances are it is a scam.
- Tip 5-
Look for red-flag expressions, such as “You have won!” or “Verify your record.” Genuine firms never send out messages like that.
- Tip 6-
Never purchase anything promoted in a message spam.
The tips mentioned above are just some of the ways with which you can protect yourself from scams. Remember though that scams come in various forms. It can originate from social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter; it can be via a text message; they can even call your phone and make it appear like they are using a Virtual PBX or any other company communication tool. Let’s just not forget that the best protection is extra caution.