While the internet and the development of technologies related to it have brought many benefits to us as a society, they also brought many problems with them. Scams were already a problem before the internet came to us, but they have now become a huge issue for people worldwide. Some scams don’t go beyond a small stolen identity issue, but others have made their victims lose millions of dollars. Fortunately, as scammers keep using the same strategies to get money from users, people also become more aware of how they can keep themselves from falling for them.
Regardless of that, some scams have proven to be more effective throughout the years, and you could fall for them if you don’t know how they work or how to notice them. Cybersecurity should be a priority for all internet users, so we are here to help you with that. Read this page to learn the most common and effective internet scams and how to notice them before scammers take your money away!
Nigerian Prince Scam
Has a Nigerian prince ever called you to ask you to help them take money out of their country? If the answer is no, you are lucky since it’s not uncommon at all to see people falling for the Nigerian prince scam. Scammers follow a simple plan to trick people with this strategy since they only have to pretend to be a wealthy person in an emergency and desperate for help. Most times, they will tell you they need to keep their money safe in a random account, so they will ask you for your credit card number and bank information to send their money to your account for some days.
Why would you help a Nigerian prince you don’t know? Because they also tell people they will let them keep some of the money they send to their account as a token of gratitude. It seems like a nice deal, doesn’t it? Well, it would be if it were true. What will actually happen if you send them your bank information is they will hack your bank account and take out all the money you have there before you notice it. Some hackers try a different approach and ask you for money to pay fees as they promise they will pay it all back in the future; they won’t.
People call this the Nigerian prince scam because it started with Nigerian princes, but now scammers use all kinds of different identities to convince you to send them money. The best identity theft protection measure you can use to stay safe from this problem is hanging up as soon as you receive a call from someone you don’t know asking for money.
Phishing Scam
One of the main issues about falling for phishing scams is not the fact that you are a victim of a scam itself but that it could make you vulnerable to many cyber threats such as worms, malware, or any other issues. Many of the craziest cybercrimes of all time spread through a phishing campaign. However, what does phishing consist of? Well, as its name suggests, it’s similar to what happens to fish when you go fishing. Scammers set a bait and wait for you to take it. The “bait” scammers use when undergoing phishing campaigns is giving you a reason to download the file they sent you since that file has ransomware, malware, or virus.
There are four types of phishing since scammers can go for spear phishing, whaling, smishing, or vishing. Spear phishing consists of customizing an email or text message to scam a specific person and not a group of them. Whailing aims to get bigger fish, such as CEOs of big companies or even governmental agencies. However, since those corporations often hire the best internet security companies on the market, why do they fall for basic scamming strategies? Mainly because scammers disguise everything as work mail saying the company is going through an emergency and needs to download a file to get further information on what to do.
Smishing is often more effective than the previously mentioned types of phishing since it consists of sending users an SMS with a link. You will get the malware as soon as you click on the link. Vishing does the same, but through someone on a voice call who tells you that you need to click the link they will send you. Never open links from random numbers or email addresses you don’t know regardless of what the people sending them to you say. If you receive one of those emails, report an internet fraud and forget about it.
Tech Support Scam
Most scams consist of people with a stolen identity asking you for money, and that’s exactly what happens with the tech support scam. However, unlike the Nigerian prince scam, this strategy starts on websites. Pop-ups mainly show you special deals, products, or services a company offers, so it’s easy to close them all if you are not interested in them. Things are different if a pop-up warning tells you your computer is full of malware and needs help from a tech support expert.
The pop-up warning on your screen will have a tech-support expert phone number to call, so it’s only natural to call that number if you think your computer needs help. Once you do it, the person on the phone will tell lies about your PC and ask you to pay a fee for them to get to your house and take care of the problem. Needless to say, no one will go to your house if you pay the fee, and that person won’t take your calls anymore. You are better off not calling any number you see online. Try to close any ads saying your computer is infected with malware since a true tech support team won’t ask you to call any number that way.
Lottery Scam
As its name suggests, lottery scams consist of scammers telling people they won the lottery to get their bank account information. Most scammers trying this strategy do it through a fake phone call and tell you they need money to pay for small shipping payments. People often fall for lottery scams because the person who calls them uses the names of actual lottery companies to sound more legit, which leads everyone to believe they are not scammers. If you never bought a lottery ticket, hang up as soon as someone from the lottery company calls you. There’s no way to win the lottery if you don’t participate in the first place.
Family Imposter Scam
Family imposter scams are one of the most effective scam strategies people have used in the past years since some scammers not only tell you they are one of your family members but actually use their phone numbers. They do that by stealing their phone numbers or hacking them. Most people would help a family member if they tell them they are in an emergency and need some money, so it’s a perfect strategy for scammers. If a family member asks you for money randomly, or you see they are acting weird, ask them to send you a voice message or call them before doing anything.
Crypto Scam
The last online scam on this list is crypto scams. In a nutshell, people create fake trading platforms or broker websites and tell people they can win outrageous profits if they sign up for them. These scam websites ask for high minimum deposits, but once you sign up for them, they don’t help you in any way or stop working altogether. Never sign up for a trading platform or brokerage before reading positive reviews about it on a reputable review website.
Bottom Line
Scammers come up with better ways to trick people into sending them money as time passes, so it’s essential for internet users to be as careful as they can while browsing online. The best way to stay safe from scams is to never open links, take calls, or download documents from strangers online. Something as simple as opening a link can fill your PC with malware, so you are never too careful when it comes to scams.
