We all know, or have heard about, someone being scammed. Whilst we may think to ourselves – fancy falling for that – the reality is that modern technology provides scammers with many ways to create fake documents, IDs, and such that are identical to genuine ones. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to spot them. Therefore, the best way to avoid scams is by familiarising yourself with the ways in which scammers typically work, the types of scams they perpetrate, and establishing some blanket ground rules to protect yourself.
Common Types Of Scams
- Remote Access Scams and Ransomware – scammers try to get remote access to your devices usually by getting you to, knowingly or unknowingly, download a piece of malware to your device. The malware may either get your personal and financial information or lock your files and computer, preventing you from accessing them until you pay the scammer.
- Phishing – scammers try to trick you into giving them personal information like account information, credit card numbers and so on
- Identity theft – scammers steal your identity and use it for financial or personal gain (a lot of this information is inadvertently provided through social media!)
- Buying and Selling – scammers pose as a buyer or seller to steal products you’re selling or scam money from you
- Job Scams – when you’re asked to pay money upfront to find or get a ‘job’.
- Investment Scams – scammers will try to get you to invest in a ‘high return’ investment scheme
- Romance Scams – scammers use dating sites to try and establish relationships with people to get money out of them, get access to their personal information, or to get them to transport items or money for them ·
- Threat & Penalty Scams – the use of threats to get money or personal information out of you i.e. you are in imminent danger of being arrested / hurt if you don’t pay up.
- Tax / Government Scams – scammers pose as tax or other government officials in order to threaten legal action, arrest, etc if you don’t provide personal details, money etc.
Avoid Remote Access Scams And Ransomware: Hang Up On Computer ‘Fixer Upperers’
This is a favourite with scammers. They contact you to tell you that your computer has a virus, needs a software upgrade, or has something wrong with it that needs fixing immediately or it will self-implode! They say they’re from Microsoft, or Apple, or a legitimate sounding computer service, and need to access your computer to fix the problem. Hang up on them. They are after your personal details, or want to disable your computer. Legitimate computer companies don’t do business this way.
Delete Suspicious Looking Messages Without Opening Them
Delete suspect texts, emails, and pop-up windows. If you are unsure of their authenticity, use an independent source to confirm their identity. Never use any contact information provided in the message or email.
Avoid Phishing Scams: Never Provide Personal Or Log In Details Via Emails Or Text Messages
Legitimate banks and other financial institutions will never send you a text message or an email requesting your account login details or to click a login link. If you receive any emails or text messages that ask you to do this, avoid opening them and delete straight away. NEVER click on any links.
If you think such an email might be legitimate, and it purports to be from your bank or an institution you do have dealings with, ring them and ask. Make sure you look up their phone number though – don’t use any contact information contained in the text or email as it is guaranteed to be fake as well.
Check any profile photos with Google Image.
Keep Your PIN And Credit Card Safe
Never give out your PIN to anyone. Never give out your credit card information or log in details to anyone you don’t implicitly trust.
Password Protect Everything
Secure your mobile devices and computers with passwords. Keep security and virus software updated. Back up your data. Password-protect your WiFi, and don’t use WiFi hotspots or public computers to provide personal information or access your bank accounts.
Don’t Make It Easy For Scammers To Crack Your Passwords
Scammers know a lot about how people come up with passwords. Don’t make it easy for them to figure out yours. Google usually offers to create your passwords for you, and saves them so you don’t have to remember them. Whilst this is a great tool, it’s only as safe as the security on your devices!
Then again, if you always get Google to save your passwords, they’re all only as safe as your devices’ security, computer generated or not. Therefore, consider using an easily remembered password to access things like your bank accounts, MyGov account etc, and NEVER let Google store it for you. Also always use a different password for each account or profile.
Don’t Transfer Anything Online To People Or Businesses You Don’t Know
This includes money, personal information, bankcard and bank details, and copies of personal documents.
Don’t agree to act as a go-between and transfer goods or money on behalf of others. It may be a money-laundering scheme. You may for example receive an email from someone who has an ‘inheritance’ and they’re prepared to give some of it to you if you’ll allow them to use your bank account to transfer it.
Treat strange payment requests with suspicion. If you can’t use regular online payment methods to pay for something, it’s probably a scam. Apart from which, do you really want to do business with a business that makes it difficult for you to pay them?
Consider using something like a PayPal account as a go-between for online purchases. That way you’re not supplying your card or banking information online, where it may get intercepted. Of course, you will need to make sure your login information for that account is secure as well!
Hang onto all your receipts. Yes, it’s a pain but they are invaluable for checking transactions on your account. If you don’t recognise a transaction, report it to your bank.
Ask your bank what security products they offer to help protect their customers from scams.
Avoid Identity Theft: Keep Your (Physical) Mail Box Locked
Scammers and thieves do drive down streets looking for unsecured mailboxes. At best, all they’ll do is pull your mail out and then ditch it when they don’t find anything of use to them. At worst, they’ll steal your personal information, particularly if you still get hard copies of things like bank and credit card statements posted to you! Arrange to receive e-statements instead.
Put a lock on your mailbox, or get a PO box, and shred any documents, including old envelopes, which have your personal details on them before throwing them out. Better still – if you have a fireplace, burn them.
Adopt Safe Social Media Habits – Don’t Post Too Much Personal Information
Treat social media (and dating site) friend requests from people you don’t know with suspicion. Check their profile and if it’s new, they don’t have many friends, or it doesn’t look legit, delete the request and block them.
Don’t provide a lot of personal information on social media sites – scammers can easily use it to commit identify theft. Also, use the privacy and security settings on these platforms to protect yourself and your personal information.
Scammers and hackers also use information provided on social media sites to try and crack people’s passwords. For instance, people often use the name of a favourite pet as a password, and then constantly mention said pet on social media…. Or they use their birth date, which is clearly visible on their profile.
Likewise, if you receive a message or a request from someone you do know, but it looks out of character or not quite right, contact the person via other means and see if it is from them. Chances are their account has been hacked though, so delete it anyway just to be safe.
Avoid Buying And Selling Scams: Use A Reputable Payment Processing Platform With A Dispute Option
If you’re selling something online, make sure you receive your money before you post the item to the buyer. If you’re buying, use PayPal or a similar payment-processing platform and if you don’t receive the goods, you can lodge a dispute to get your money back.
Avoid Job / Employment Scams: Use Legitimate Job Boards And Employment Agencies
Reputable job boards and employment agencies do not charge people to use their job search facilities, or to get work through them. Sites that do charge are purely moneymaking schemes, and may or may not offer legitimate job or work opportunities.
Avoid Investment Scams: Do Your Due Diligence Before Committing To Anything
If you’re approached about investing in something that ‘sounds too good to be true’ it probably is. Investigate the investment thoroughly and ONLY commit if it is 100% legal and above board.
Avoid Romance Scams: Double Check The Profiles Of Everyone Who Contacts You
If their profile doesn’t quite add up, or if you have any suspicions at all, ignore them and move on.
Avoid Threat & Penalty Scams: Ignore Them And Don’t Oblige
Legitimate law enforcement agencies do not contact people and threaten to arrest or hurt them if they don’t pay money or hand over personal information. Therefore, if you get any emails, messages, or phone calls along these lines then, unless you belong to a gang of some sort, it’s a scam or a rogue cop. Hang up, delete anything they send you, ignore or report them.
Avoid Tax / Government Scams: Ignore Them And Definitely Do Not Comply
Legitimate government agencies also do not contact people and threaten to arrest or hurt them if they don’t pay money or hand over personal information. Hang up, delete anything they send you, ignore or report them.
The Bottom Line About Avoiding Scams
Legitimate businesses and government agencies have to follow specific and secure processes if they require information from you. It’s also rare that 3rd parties will have access to personal information they can use to threaten you with. Therefore, you can guarantee that any communication you receive asking for personal information, money, access to your computer, or that threatens or bullies you, is a scam!