How to protect yourself from online business scams |
Posted: June 14, 2018 |
No fixed target There is no fixed category of people who become a prey to scams. The victim can be anyone, irrespective of his age group, or earning or background. We all are equally unprotected by scams. Because of how real they look, scams get innocent people trapped into their mesh easily. Scammers have become increasingly witty and are using people by attacking their emotional and sensitive areas and making them fall for their made-up false stories and get their money. With advancements in technology, they are using wiser and better scamming schemes and tricks. Be your guard While using internet, always stay attentive and be mindful of the reality that scams are no joke, they are an actual thing to persist. Emails, messages or calls from unknown people or companies, are mostly not safe. If your instinct says, that it sounds overly perfect and that there is something wrong, listen to it. Do not be blind while dealing online Whenever an organization contacts you online and you are unsure about its reliability or authenticity, research well before proceeding to make your dealing. Look for images on google image for the organization and also for people who have had been there. Get to know about their opinions about the place. Often people post fraudulent cases online with hashtags on Facebook. Therefore, try that out too.
If the person who is contacting is no stranger but your very own friend, but the messages you are receiving are not expected of them, then waste no more time to directly contact your friend and let him know of the scenario and ask him if he is the one messaging you. Only then should you decide to move ahead.
Doubtful emails and chats You might receive an email regarding winning a big cash prize out of nowhere. Never trust those emails. Also, any email that seems doubtful in any way, it is safer not to open it in the first place, instead delete it as soon as possible. If you have opened it by mistake, do not click on the hyperlinks attached with it. These are the links that enter viruses in your computers or mobile devices and hacks your passwords and personal information. Similar is the case with receiving doubtful and weird messages. Never do the mistake of calling on the contact numbers given on some suspicious emails. You might unknowingly provide your personal contact number to the scammer and ruin your game yourself. Do not revisit a suspicious website If there seems to be something unusual about the design of a particular website or if there are many pop-up windows in that website, then know that it is an unsafe place to be in. If is an online shopping website then it must surely be a fraudulent one. A safer way to shop is to only buy from official websites of well-known retailer websites and avoid using payment methods other than secured ones known like PayPal. The password hacks Never use the same password for all of your online accounts. Your important accounts like your bank accounts should have passwords that cannot be easily guessed and the same ones should not be used for making accounts on online shopping websites. Keep changing your passwords on a regular basis. Never tell anyone what your password is, no matter how close you are. Look out for the security of your computer and mobile phones Put a password on each of your devices so that no one can access it except you as you might be using e-banking through your devices and thus, your accounts can get hacked if not secured by a password. Keep updating the security software in your devices. Avoid connecting to the internet via free public Wi-Fi as it is not safe. At no cost, make online transactions through these Wi-Fi networks. Shoulder surfing is a common thing when using public computers so avoid that as well. You might reveal your personal information including your credit card number to someone. in case you make a financial transaction using a public computer, make sure to change your password soon afterwards. Online dating scams Beware of whom you chat with through online dating websites. He or she might not seem to be involved in any kind of scamming activities at all, but you never know. To catch online dating scams, you should watch carefully for the unusually fast-growing interest of the other side in you. Other indications are if the other person starts asking for money from you because of personal financial crisis or sickness etc. Therefore, if an online relationship is developing too quickly, beware you might be dating a scammer.
You can prevent getting duped by scammers by being extra cautious while using the internet for the above purposes. Take care. AUTHOR BIO This blog post is written by Thomas Pattinson at Write My Essay For Me and he is an exceptional freelance writer and educationist.
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