Common Types of Internet Frauds that Most People Fall for and How to Avoid Them.
Internet fraud is a type of theft, which goes on through the internet where someone who does not know you or who knows you are likely to get money from you by confusing you. The fraudster confuses you with something you cannot avoid, shopping, gambling games, or even through the email. You will be confused and made to pay money for something that does not exist, but you have ever heard of it, and it sounds to be real.
It might be hard for you to notice that it is a way of getting money because they do not ask for it directly. Fraudsters will always use the confusing but sound to be right ways to get money from people’s pockets or banks account. Most guess the numbers of people or use the typical social media sites to get some email addresses or contacts of people and later start disturbing you with emails or messages.
Most people in the world today are losing their money to the fraudsters who use different methods of getting money. It becomes easy for someone to fall into these traps and send money but later realize that the money has gone. Fraudsters always promise big things in return but end up not keeping their guaranteed or give you what you do not deserve.
After you have given them the money, most will never pick your calls again or reply to your messages or emails. It becomes difficult to report such cases to the authority because it is hard to find the fraudster.
Most of the fraudsters are people whom you know well, and they know you. They will use the best ways possible to get some cash from your pocket by cheating you but make sure you do not know them.
It is not necessarily that someone who is near you and knows you will steal from you, some are people who do not know you and all they do is guessing your email to get your details from you. The fraudster could be located in a far country. He or she will use convincing information to make you believe that what he or she is telling you is the truth. In return, you end up sending the person some money or a gift.
Let us look at some of the common frauds, people from all over the world get involved and how one can avoid being a victim.
Computer Fraud
This is the standard internet fraud which most people fall for right in their email inbox. It is a situation whereby you will have to claim a prize you have won. The counterfeit prize emails come in different ways of convincing people. You might find an email where the awards include free smartphones, vehicles, or some cash.
People involved in this deception will always tell you to follow some steps for you to claim for the prize. You might find some of these fraudsters claiming that you pay some money after you are through with the levels they give you. They will convince you that the money is for transporting your prize to your country since the award in most cases is usually from a far country.
The prize is never sent to you even after sending the shipping money. Most people have been receiving such kind of emails in the world today because the fraudsters have found it as a secure method of getting money from people’s pockets quickly. It is advisable to avoid falling into this trap if you do not want to end up being broke.
Craigslist Scam
You, your colleague, or a family member might have fallen for this common trap. Most people use a website to sell the items they wish to do away with their homes or offices. The fraudsters always target individuals who sell their items at a higher price.
They mostly target huge dimensions, such as houses, furniture, and vehicles. They then send an email to the seller if he or she has given the email address or maybe text the person. The fraudsters always claim to be people from another country and need the item you posted for sale on a particular website.
The tricky part is when they send you a fake banker’s check with more money than you had posted as the buying price on the item. The fraudster will ask you to return the excess money he or she sent you but ask you to deduct the shipping money. It might be easy for you to fall into this trick because you will trust the person comfortably. If you do not notice that the banker’s check is fake, you will end up losing the item you shipped, and the excess money they claimed was sent by mistake. It will be too late for you to realize that you were conned since the number that called you will always be switched off.
Fake online shopping, categorized and auction frauds
Fraudster love stealing from people who love buying their items online. It is common that most people order for an item online but do not get it after paying.
These scammers will always use fake photographs to attract clients. Most of them do not use high price tags on the items to get ready clients quickly. After paying for the item, you will either not get anything, inferior quality or a faulty item. Having has done this, they will go away with your money, and if you used a credit card to pay for the item, they would be left with your bank details or credit card.
It is hard to distinguish sites, which have scammers since they can be found on the popular online pages. Avoid giving out money to people who transact business outside the site’s secure payment platform. If you fall for this, it will be hard for the auction site to pay you back your money since they do not know how you carried out the transaction.
Banking and online frauds
You will receive emails and text messages from the scammers but will appear as if they are from your bank, online payment service, or a financial institution you save your money with. They will tell you that your account has some issues and all you need to do is verify your details on a copy of bank website, which they send you. The site is always fake but made to appear like your bank’s website.
Credit Card Frauds
Credit card phishing sites are the same as the fake shopping sites. They will always look professional and real, but the credit card phishing sites will always link themselves to the actual websites, unlike the phony shopping sites. It is therefore hard to distinguish between a fraudulent transaction and real transaction sites.
Card skimming is a way of copying some data from the magnetic stripe of an automatic teller machine card commonly known as the ATM or s credit card. The fraudsters skim your cards details by putting an inconspicuous attachment on an automated teller machine or the EFTPOS machine. Others might even install a camera so that they can capture your pin and use it later.
Once they have succeeded in skimming your credit card, the fraudsters will then create several copies and withdraw money from your account whenever they want.
Text message frauds
These frauds will always annoy you once you get them. They always come many text messages in a day or daily. You will be receiving them for different reasons which the fraudster will need you to address various issues. You may receive the messages claim you have won a free vacation for two or three, or you have won a free ticket to your local theater.
The messages look real in such a way that you will believe it is real if you are not keen enough. However, the doubt comes when you know you have not been involved in any activity to make you win the ticket.
Avoid replying to such messages if you know you have nothing to do with what they tell you. After they realize that you are interested, they will ask you for a small fee or fail to ask you for something but try to get some personal details that will help them reach your bank account.
Attacked while traveling frauds
There are different types of this type of fraud. You might receive a call, a text or an email from someone pretending to be your family member and claim that he or she was attacked and everything was taken while in a journey and you need to send some money for the person to get back home.
There is another version of this scam where a relative who is not real, will call you or send a text message to your telling you to send him or her some money to hire a rental car after the car they have been using has been involved in a road accident. The relative claims to have borrowed a phone from someone who is at the accident scene to call you seeking for help.
You are likely to fall into the trap because these people claim to be your relatives. The stories they give you are very sand that you might send what they are asking for to rescue them. No one would wish to hear that his or her relative is suffering.
The fraudster is someone who might be knowing you well such that he will try to explain who he or she is relating to your distant relatives you have not seen for long, but you know them. Some might use the names of your old relatives who died long ago, but without noticing, you might end up sending them your money or credit card information so that they can use to rescue themselves. Later you will realize that the relative you sent money does not exist.
Charity and disaster frauds
These type of scams will depend on the empathy you have for other people. Most will claim to be a group of people who work for a charity to help the needy. Frauds will come with different categories of people whom they help such as, the poor, street kids, victims of natural calamities, or the physically challenged.
Most of these frauds are mainly experienced after a particular problem has been experienced in a certain country or the whole world; It is evident that the scams will always have something from people to put in their pocket after convincing people.
It is hard to get these frauds after you have sent the money because most will do away with the mobile numbers they used to get money from you.
The Update Application Downloads Frauds
These frauds are masked as messages on websites telling you that your common application or any other application, which you have on your phone or computer, is outdated and needs to be updated for it to run well.
Once you agree to update the application, you are taken to another site where you need to key in your details as a way of updating the app. When making the application, you are downloading some viruses and malware that is capable of getting your data, not leaving the financial, personal information.
The websites where you are directed to carry out your update belongs to the fraudsters. They find this an easy way of collecting information from people since most people cannot do without some applications on their mobile phones or computers. It becomes easy for someone to start downloading malware or a virus without knowing.
Online Dating Site Scams
These frauds fall for individuals who are lonely and need to get the perfect match to start a relationship with through the online dating sites. Since online sites have become popular sites where people meet their sauces and end up in a good relation or marriage, most people will always go for online dating sites.
Fraudsters have decided to use this chance to get people’s money quickly. They will pretend to be in love with you for some time and make sure you also fall for them. You might end up believing that the person is in real love with you. Most of the time, they will ask for some money or gifts from you.
Since you are not from the same country, you might end up sending some of the things they ask of you. The habit will go on until you believe you are really in love and plan to visit the person. That is the time, you will never see the person online again, and the contacts you were given will never go through.
Other fraudsters will generate their dating sites. They will then use social media for advertising their dating site so that they can get more people joining. However, when entering, you will be asked to pay some money so that you can meet the person of your choice. After spending the money, you will never have a site to view.
Lottery and any other competition frauds
You might receive an email a text message from abroad sweepstakes or lottery company, which you have ever heard of but never participated. The message will always indicate that you have won money or other big prices in the competition, which you have never attended since it started.
These frauds will convince you to send some details about your account so that they can send you the money. Others might ask for money to transport the price you have won for you. You should be care full with such people if you know you do not participate in any gambling.
Business frauds
People owning businesses are likely to fall into this trap. You might receive fake bills for unauthorized or unwanted listing, products, services, or advertisements. Someone who knows you but wants to steal from you might send you an invoice for a listing from a well-known business directory.
The scammer will trick you by asking you to sign the invoice claiming that it is an outstanding invoice or a free entry; however, you should be keen enough since it will not have any subscription agreement on it for you to see clearly.
You might also receive a call from a fraudster claiming that he or she is your supplier and that a particular product was ordered and you need to send some money for you to receive what you ordered. It might be hard for you to remember what you ordered and the phone number of your supplier, however, most people will send money for goods they will never receive.
Employment and Job Frauds
These frauds offer opportunities where one can work from home or set up and invest in a well-established business opportunity. Fraudsters promise to provide a job that pays a high salary or other colossal investment return.
After you have fallen for their traps, they will ask you to send them some money, which will cater for the training course, software, uniform, taxes, security clearance, or fees. Most of these frauds are circulated to people through advertisements or spam emails.
Gambling and golden opportunity fraud
Fraudsters mostly start with a call or sending people emails offering a high return or a guarantees investment in some shares, options, real estates or foreign currency trading, which most people would not want to miss.
While it may seem convincing and right, the scammer will go away with your money, and you will never receive what you were promised at the beginning. For you to participate in anything you are asked, you might be told to pay some subscription or membership fee, unique calculators, or for some computer software programs. This is how your money will go with the scammers.
Greeting Card Frauds
Whether it is during the Easter, Christmas or any other holiday season, we mostly get some greetings from our friends, family members, or other people who care. Greeting card fraud is an old internet thing, which is used by malicious fraudsters to get peoples the most valuable data.
Once you agree to read the card sent. You will be directed to open malicious software, which will be downloaded and later installed on your operating system. The malware might be an irritating program, which will introduce some pop-ups or unexpected windows on your screen. The malware will start sending your private data to people you do not know.
How to Avoid These Common Frauds
Always make sure that the URL is the one which you are searching for.
Avoid giving out the information on your credit card to anyone over the phone or by sending an email or a text message.
Avoid being linked to other a website if an application in your phone or computer needs some update.
Know where an email is coming from and make sure you know if it is from the legit company or the real person who deserves to get the information asked.
Do your online shopping from websites, which will accept secure payment methods.
If you have never been involved in any gambling, do not be convinced that you have worn any price or money by anybody.
Do not agree to pay for something you have not seen.
Avoid sending items to your clients without making sure the money or bankers check issued is real.
Avoid job offers from people who will ask you to pay any fee before you start working.
Do not accept to send money to someone who claims to be your relative, and you do not know him or hear clearly.
If you own a business, do not sign something you cannot see who it is from to avoid confusion.
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