BE AWARE
Stop the scam! Protect yourself and your hard-earned money by being vigilant about how scammers might try to attack you and your business. Certainly, we have met a person who deceived us more than once in our life. Scammers work in many ways. Sometimes they want to take our material goods from us, and sometimes their purpose can be completely different, but just as painful.
NEVER: Do not provide your account username or password to a suspicious means of obtaining them. Fraudsters may try to contact you in a number of ways, including by phone, SMS, e-mail, or letter.
NEVER: Give anyone your activation, verification, or passwords.
NEVER: Do not transfer money from your account after receiving unexpected instructions to do so.
NEVER: Do not allow remote access to your device when someone calls you unexpectedly.
While you have no control over the appearance of a cheating attempt, you can nevertheless prepare for and prevent an ever-changing threat by actively learning about its patterns. Sometimes we will recognize a scam, not by the information in the email, but by the way the message was written and the layout of the text. Therefore, some technical signs of fraud are also worth mentioning. Once you know them, you can easily distinguish legitimate emails from fraudulent emails.
Human Weakness
As we know, the weakest link in protection against any form of fraud, including internet fraud, is humans. No technical method will help us if we are careless. Let’s take a look at what human weaknesses are most often exploited by fraudsters.
Greed
Greed is the main aspect of human nature that fraudsters take advantage of. Easy money, lottery wins, exploitation of loopholes in electronic or other payment systems – all of these scams are based on the principle “give us some money first, then you get millions”. Naturally, there is no “later”. Keep that in mind and don’t be fooled.
Fear
Cybercriminals also take advantage of another human weakness: fear. Messages such as “Click this link or your account will be blocked”, “If you do not send a text message to this number, 10 minutes after reading this email your account will be deleted” and other similar threats prey on fear and push users to do so certain things immediately without thinking.
Remember that no provider will block your account in this way. As already mentioned, no provider will ever ask you to click on a link in an email to enter your personal details. No legitimate service will urge you to take any action. All messages that try to scare the recipient or contain a reminder may be dismissed as fraudulent.
Naivety / willingness to help / credulity
Unfortunately, scammers also try to take advantage of our good nature. Please note that any requests for help you receive as spam are fraudulent. If you really want to help, use the official channel. Real charities never use spam.
Curiosity
Interestingly, some people sometimes send money to fraudsters out of curiosity. Even if they don’t quite understand what the email is about and don’t really expect to get the hundred thousand million dollars, they just wonder what will happen when they click on the link. What is this? How it’s working? What will happen? Do you want to know what will happen? You will lose your money and that’s it!
I admit I have done it myself. Recently I had a SCAMMER using the old I will send you money but I need you to do this for me first trick. But this guy actually mailed me a check. Now I was smart and went through the process even though I recognized it upfront. So I get the check and have it reviewed by the bank and yes it was counterfeit. I played with this guy a few more days telling him we had problems but not letting him know we knew the truth. For me, it was a bit of fun just to see how he would wiggle and squirm trying to get me to send money. There really is almost no way to catch these people because as soon as they know you are onto them they disappear.
Imprudence
It cannot be denied that the pace of life on the Internet is faster than what we do offline. We often do several things on the web at once: we work, check e-mails, read messages, chat via instant messaging, listening to music, etc. As a result, our attention becomes a little distracted and we are less careful ourselves. This can make us fall for a fraudulent e-mail, although a careful reading would be enough to immediately delete it from our inbox. Take your time to take action. Take time to think, then read the message a second time.
How to recognize email scams
- The “To:” field contains a name different from yours – this means that you are dealing with a mass mailing, and the “To” field has nothing to do with the content of the email and was selected randomly.
- There is an unknown address in the “From” field – Which means that the message does not come from the organization that was named as the sender. Remember, no self-respecting organization sends emails from a free email client.
- Some of the words are written in CAPITAL LETTERS – this is one of the tactics used by spammers to attract the user’s attention.
- Some of the words are misspelled (‘Lloan’ instead of ‘loan’ or ‘Youwon’ instead of ‘You won’) – this is a tactic spammer use to bypass spam filters.
- The link does not match the address of the official website of the organization – as mentioned above, this is a clear indication that someone is trying to lure you to the spoofed site.
- Impersonal welcome return (Dear Friend, Dear Customer, Dear Subscriber, Hello!) – this kind of greeting means that the sender does not know your name and that the message is simply spam.
SCAM on Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is a commonplace for scammers to bait people. It is the most active social media website in the world. Like markets in the real world full of people, it will have thieves mixed in with the crowd. It is easy for them to camouflage their activities amidst the thousands of legitimate deals.
Counterfeit goods – imitations of valuable goods that are offered as genuine.
Gift card scams – before ghosting consumers, scammers ask for payment in gift cards, which are anonymous and cannot be traced back to them.
Bait-and-switch – promoting one product but actually trying to sell you a lower-quality alternative. They tell you the original is out of stock hoping to make a sell.
Broken products – selling defective goods that are passed off as high-quality.
Rental listings – fake listings include houses and flats.
Deposit Fraud – Often the seller will ask you to put up a deposit to hold an item. This is common with cars on Marketplace.
QR Code – Sellers are requested to scan a QR code to “verify the buyer has the correct account,” Instead, the seller is charged.
Overpayment – fake sellers or buyers pretend to have overpaid using a bogus screenshot and ask for a refund.
As with any purchase you make on the internet you should do a little research before paying the seller. If it is too good to be true, it probably is a SCAM, avoid it entirely. On Facebook, you can check their profile or even have chat with them on Messenger. Trust your gut feelings, if it feels wrong then it probably is.
There are many ways to our reason, and the most educated can be deceived. Because each and every one of us has at least one weak point. In addition, completely unconsciously, we show it to the world in our gestures, words, and actions.
If we have something a thief wants, he will do anything to take it away from us. All the thief needs is a little practice, cleverness, and, above all, observation skills. After that, it is enough to choose the appropriate style of “seduction” of the victim and sooner or later someone will be left without their wristwatch.
So what to watch out for, how to protect yourself from a potential attacker? Do you have to wear an invisibility cap from today and not talk to strangers? Or maybe the principle of “trust no one” is the way to a safe life? No, it’s not that bad, it’s not worth getting paranoid. First things first: learn what a fraudster can do – observe. Both yourself, your reactions and states, and signals from the other person. Because the good news is that like everyone else, the scammer is easy to “read” too. So what to do?
INTERNET FRAUD – HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF?
Global computer network
The Internet has become an integral part of our everyday life. It is used at work, for learning, information exchange, or as a form of relaxation or fun. Unfortunately, the Internet is also used by people who use it to commit crimes. A whole range of different types of crimes are committed via the Internet, as well as in the real world, but Internet users are not always aware of how easy it is to become a victim of cybercrime scams.
The victims of cybercrime are most often the victims of fraud. Online fraud is a predominant group of crimes that is growing rapidly and is evolving into more and more complex forms. Some types of online scams, how the perpetrators operate, and what to do to avoid and become a victim of fraud are described below.
Phishing
In this type of fraud, the perpetrator, using generally available Internet services, aims to mislead the victim and obtain sensitive personal or financial data, i.e. credit card numbers, passwords, logins, and PIN numbers. Data that allows them to take over your money or take over a virtual identity, which may also lead to loss of money, and may also expose the victim to loss of good name, etc.
Often, the victim of fraud receives an email telling him to log in and confirm his bank details, e-mail account details, etc. The perpetrators can create fake e-mails that resemble official messages from various organizations and institutions, such as banks, and insurance companies. To confuse the audience, they use the logo of the organization, institution, or entity and imitate the style and graphic design of its correspondence. The message usually prompts the user to click on a link to enter their personal information. After entering the suggested link in correspondence, even without entering their data, malicious software is installed on the user’s computer that performs functions defined by the perpetrators (“Trojan horse”).
How to avoid a phishing scam
If the user has received a message from a company, bank, or e-mail operator whose services he does not use – he should exercise caution when reading it or delete such correspondence. If you receive a message from a sender who claims to be an e-mail operator or bank in which the user has an account, read it carefully. Fraudsters often name the fraudulent websites they use, very similar to the genuine ones, e.g. http://twiter.com/ instead of http://twitter.com/.
In addition, if the sender asks for a login, password, etc., it should also raise our vigilance because none of the legally operating companies or banks requires such information! If we have doubts as to the authenticity of the message, check it on the official website of the company, enter its address in the search engine, and never use the link provided in the received message! It should be remembered that criminals are interested in all kinds of data, not only related to online payment systems. Therefore, the fraudsters use the methods described above to extort our data on e-mail accounts, social networks, or online games.
Identity theft and money laundering
This type of crime is often done by sending attractive job offers to users. The perpetrators usually offer high wages or offer jobs that do not require much effort from the future “employees”. Job offers are sent to e-mail addresses in the form of spam or advertisements, etc. The victim sends his CV, a copy of ID documents, his bank account number, and contact telephone number. There are even cases where the fraudster requires applicants to set up a bank account for their personal data, and then send the received ATM card along with the PIN code.
If the user meets the requirements, the fraudster has everything needed to use the victim’s identity to commit other crimes. After phishing this information, the scammer can further exploit your unawareness. In the case of fake job offers, the victim’s task is usually to send money flowing into the account to persons or banks indicated by fraudsters. The transfer of money takes place via a payment system that makes it impossible to identify the recipient, e.g. Western Union. The victim is convinced that the money comes from legally operating companies, he sends the money to the desired place for which he charges a commission.
Victims do not realize that they are participating in the so-called “Money laundering” derived from crime. The slang name of the person involved in sending money is money mule.
Fake job offers are also used to extort money. This is done in a similar way. The scammer sends a very advantageous job offer abroad. The victim responds to the offer, recruits very easily, and then has to report to work. The scammer ensures that everything is already taken care of, he only asks for a small payment, e.g. to buy an airline ticket, buy a visa, work permit or pay for a rented apartment. This crime is a form of “Nigerian fraud”.
How to protect yourself from identity theft
First of all, you need to use common sense as always. You cannot trust the offers of companies that give very attractive earnings with a minimum amount of work, e.g. making transfers in return for commissions. This is a “money laundering” scam in which you become an accomplice and can be held responsible for it!
Do not send your CV to unknown companies, let alone detailed credit card details. You should pay attention to the e-mail address, whether it really belongs to the company indicated in the message, or who is the owner of the website mentioned in the advertisement. You cannot stop at contact by e-mail only. In the case of job offers, it is advisable to contact the company by phone and in person. Usually, in the recruitment process, companies organize job interviews, and only after this stage do they make decisions about hiring an employee. In addition, you need to pay attention to whether the company provides the address of its registered office, This is data that can be checked and authenticated. You can also check the opinions of Internet users about the company on various forums – this is where fraudsters are often exposed.
False buy/sell offers
Buy/sell fraud is one of the oldest methods of extorting money. Most often, fraudsters post a very financially attractive offer to buy, for example, a car or a motorcycle on an auction site. The victim contacts the scammer to make a purchase, and the scammer wishes to receive the money via Western Union as soon as possible. Pickup in person is not possible, because the fraudster is very often abroad and wants to sell the car quickly. In order to authenticate their offer, the fraudsters propose to make the transaction through a trusted intermediary company, the so-called “Escrow Service”, which is to guarantee the delivery of the car to the customer. However, the company “Escrow Service” does not exist, it is created by a fraudster. The victim sends money, and this is where the contact is cut off.
The second version of this scam (although much rarer) is the fraudulent’s intention to purchase, for example, a car or other goods that a potential victim offers for sale through an advertising or auction portal. The scheme is very similar. The fraudster asks to send the goods abroad and offers to secure the transaction through Escrow Service – an intermediary company that guarantees a safe transaction. The victim receives e-mails from the fake Escrow Service, stating that the payment has been made and that the goods can be shipped. Of course, the money never reaches the victim. Sometimes victims receive e-mails from free e-mail boxes imitating well-known banking institutions.
How to avoid this scam? Don’t believe in great deals! Discounted car sales offer that does not correspond to the actual value should arouse your suspicion. Personal contact
and the opportunity to see the car should always be sought. Under no circumstances should you send money “in advance” for any goods via Western Union, Money Gram, or to an unchecked Escrow Service. As in other cases, all possible checks of the seller or companies intermediating in sales should be made.
Nigerian fraud – the so-called fraud 419
Nigerian Fraud (419 Fraud, West African Fraud) – the advance payment fraud has been known since the 16th century, then it was known as the Spanish Prisoner Letter, and writing and sending letters were used to commit it. Currently, fraudsters use e-mail for this purpose. They send out messages in which they write that they are in a very difficult situation (ingenuity is amazing, they can pretend to be former ministers, lawyers, or even our distant relatives) and ask for help in making up a large sum of money or inheritance. The victim is assured that they will receive a large proportion of the amount in return for payment of, for example, stamp duties or the inheritance attorneys. This is one of the many forms of this scam.
How to protect yourself against fraud? First of all, do not reply to such messages, do not believe in the possibility of easy acquisition of the property of “distant relatives”, delete spam correspondence from your account, and observe the precautions described above.
Scam using “SMS”.
A simple scam consists in extorting money from people who pay for using the services available on various types of websites by sending an SMS text message. Internet users receive an e-mail encouraging, for example, to take an intelligence test and check their IQ. To receive a test solution, send a paid SMS message, the price of which is not clearly specified, e.g. the user is required to follow a strictly defined, multi-stage method of sending a message. As a result, the bill for this service can be very expensive.
Another example is sending e-cards. The price for sending such a card is not high, it amounts to less than $5. You pay for sending by SMS, which in fact costs the user, not a few dollars, but as much as $50.
How to fight fraud? Always read the terms and conditions! The regulations must specify the exact terms of use, payment methods and dates, and the price list of services. The author of such a page (provided that it is not a page set up for several days) counts on the fact that users accept the regulations without reading them. The card costs a few dozen pennies, but it is only in the regulations that the user agrees to the automatic purchase of more cards, e.g. 50 pieces. Failure to read the content of the regulations results in no grounds for claims for financial losses.
Internet scammers are constantly competing in creating new methods of extorting personal data or money. They often use proven methods, introducing only small changes that make Internet users lull. Here are some examples:
- Fraud on the so-called “Lottery Wins” – is similar to a Nigerian scam. The user receives an email informing them about the alleged lottery win and requesting personal information in order to deliver the high prize winner. As in the case of Nigerian fraud, victims are asked for an advance payment to cover bank charges and in some cases also for personal data, etc. Data provided by users may also be used for identity theft and other crimes;
- Scam on the so-called compensation: “Nigerian Fraud” offense. The user receives an email informing them of an alleged establishment of a compensation fund for victims of the Nigerian Scam. The victim may receive high compensation, but as with classic Nigerian scams, they must of course pay a small manipulative amount;
- Fraud on the so-called “Girl in love”, the user of the e-mail address is contacted by a person who claims to be a young woman, who comes from one of the countries low income. Then, after the correspondence, the woman confesses that she is very much in love and wants to come to the victim’s country as soon as possible. At the last moment, it turns out that the young woman has no money for the trip. So she asks for cash to pay for plane tickets, visas, etc. After paying the money, the contact stops.
- As you can see, Internet scammers can be very inventive and brazen. However, some methods of extorting personal data or money are invariably used in many types of fraud. Sometimes we do not recognize the scam based on the information in the email, but the way the message was written and the text layout. Such a quick analysis of the received message can save you from unnecessary problems. Therefore, you should pay attention to whether the received message is addressed individually to our data, or whether it is a mass mailing to many people.
- You should also pay attention to the sender of the message, whether it is an address known to us, or whether it comes from a company that I identify as the sender. No serious company sends emails from a free email account like gmail.com. Scammers, in order to attract the user’s attention, write some words in capital letters or consciously use incorrect spelling to bypass anti-spam protection.
How to Report a Cybercrime
A person who has become a victim of online fraud (cybercrime) has the right to submit a notification of a crime to the Police unit or to the prosecutor’s office, preferably the closest to the place of residence or the place where he is located at a given moment. Due to the possibility of loss or destruction of IT data, notification of committing this type of crime should be submitted as soon as possible from the moment of its disclosure. This increases the chances of law enforcement agencies securing complete evidence and finding the perpetrator.
Information Needed
First of all, data on the domain (website address, e-mail address) on which the aggrieved party found the offer. In the case of internet portals, the basic thing is to collect all data regarding the subject of purchase/sale and the person selling. Include the data regarding the sold item included in the description, date, price, description of the item, etc. Then all the personal and contact details provided by the seller, i.e. name and name, address of residence or business, telephone numbers, bank accounts, login (user name), and e-mail address.
The way in which the aggrieved party logged in to the site is also important, whether it was a well-known website or a redirection from a link in the content of the received message. The aggrieved party should secure this link, e.g. by printing the exact address provided by the perpetrator. If during or after the purchase, the aggrieved party has contacted the perpetrator, he should keep the content of the correspondence so that it is possible to determine when and how the correspondence was conducted (e-mail address, instant messaging, SMS text messages).
If the victim has made a deposit, please keep all documentation of how, when, and where the payment was made. To the submitted notification, the injured party should attach printouts: the main page of the auction, photos posted on the website, data and comments about the seller (or the seller’s website), a printout of the correspondence, confirmation of payment, etc. When making printouts of electronic correspondence, remember that they should be made taking into account the extended header (properties/sources) of the message, which indicates its “virtual” path.
Summary
In conclusion, internet users should follow a few simple security rules:
- Use an anti-virus program that is regularly updated to ensure effective protection against many different Internet threats (viruses, worms, Trojans, etc.).
- Do not open links or attachments in questionable e-mails, as they may contain malware or will link us to fraudulent addresses for extorting money or identity theft.
- All bank payments should be made using the HTTPS protocol (marked with a padlock-shaped icon), which ensures the security of data transmission. It is also worth displaying a certificate confirming safe data transmission, because more sophisticated criminals can use the HTTPS protocol, but do not have a security certificate.
Cybercriminals use well-worded phrases or create more elaborate and complex plots to build trust. Fraudsters use credulity, willingness to help others, get rich quick, haste, or curiosity. It should be remembered that greed is most often the breaker of logical thinking and vigilance. Above all, however, we must be aware that security in a virtual space depends on the users themselves. We will not be helped by any systemic security measures if we do not exercise proper caution and common sense ourselves.
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