Tips for Avoiding Online Scams
Knowledge is the key to avoid online scams. If you are aware of the different types of masterplan scams that are orchestrated by scammers and know how to avoid them, your chances of falling prey, decrease drastically. In this article, we give you some handy tips that would help you gain a safe online experience.
- 1. Never click on suspicious links in emails
Spammers come up with new masterplans every now and then. The latest trick is to acquire personal information of people by sending them fake emails. These emails that appear to come from legitimate banks and financial institutions are, in fact, sent by scammers who want to use your information for vested interests. They usually ask you to re-enter your personal information, like name, address, social security number, bank account details, in the given form or they may ask you to reset your password. When you enter the data, all of it goes to the scammers.
You should know that legitimate banks never send e-mails for verifying your information or ask you to click on a link to change a password. If you want to visit your bank’s website, always type the address yourself and look for the padlock in the address bar.
- 2. Use strong passwords
If you use easy passwords, like your birthday or spouse name, your account can easily be hacked. Therefore, you should use strong passwords; they should be alphanumeric with special characters, to guard your email, social networking, and online banking accounts from hackers.
- 3. Do not fall for schemes that sound too good to be true
The latest masterplan of the scammers is to send e-mails regarding big investment opportunities that guarantee good returns in short time. Usually, such scam emails ask you to act urgently and send the money immediately. You should never act upon such emails. Never send money to someone you do not know as the email may be from a scammer who simply wants to rip you off and take your money.
- 4. Check the credentials of sellers before buying online
The online retailing industry is growing by leaps and bounds since the last few years and so are the e-commerce scams. Before placing your order online, go through the e-commerce website carefully to find out who is behind the website, what their physical address is, and terms and conditions of their return and exchange policy. Once you have the required details, go to the Better Business Bureau website to check the credential of the seller. Also, read reviews about the seller to know what you should expect while dealing with them.
- 5. Do not pay through wire-transfers
Scammers chart out great masterplans to cheat people. Most online scammers insist on paying through wire-transfers because when you send money through wire-transfer, the transaction cannot be reversed. Therefore, never pay sellers and charities through this method. Instead, opt for safe transaction methods like credit card.
The Internet has made life much easier. You can enjoy its manifold benefits if you take adequate measures to avoid online scams. You can defeat the masterplans of scammers simply by remaining informed and cautious.
Processing your request, Please wait....
