In this article, we will talk about Internet security, specificallythe types of scams that you may encounter while using the Internet, and howto detect them and not fall into their trap.
Online phishing present on many sites such as social networkingsites, this place that contains millions of visitors per day, or throughunsolicited emails, or pop-ups via ads, or browser extensions.
Currently, these methods are considered one of the most popular methods usedby fraudsters to spread everything they want, and unfortunately there aremany users who fall into the net of massive fraudsters, and it has becomedifficult to detect them because they resort to crooked ways to do so.
However, in order to raise awareness about these frauds that are repeateddaily and preventing online fraud, we will mention some of the methods usedby fraudsters to carry out fraud on the Internet.
Social Media Related Scams
Currently, almost 90% of the world’s population has an account on one of thesocial media, but did you also know who has an account on one of theseplatforms? Yes, fraudsters, criminals, and even those who steal otherpeople’s accounts for personal or commercial purposes.
In many cases, social media scams come in the form of so-calledproducts, where scam artists will usually try to contact you directly orindirectly to selling you one of their products.
You will receive very attractive offers in addition to listing exclusivediscounts for these products with the aim of selling them to the largestnumber of people, but in the end you will be shocked by the real amount ofthe product, or you will not get the product in the first place.
Another way to defraud through social media is through DMed links, whichinvite you to click on this link to enter a contest to win a car or the lastiPad on the market and other beautiful promises.
After open the link, spy bots will be downloaded to your device, or trackingviruses will be injected into your browser, and in many cases your devicewill be hacked, and you will notice that emails or promotional offers appearout of everywhere in your browser or on the surface of your device.
Many times these scammers on the Internet use the names of real companies todeceive people that their products belong to this company, andunfortunately, many people are deceived by this trick.
The best solution to this problem is not to open any links whose source youare not sure, or accept any direct messages from anyone you do not know orfollow, and it is best to attend any account that you suspect is afraudulent account, and thus you will avoid any problems in the future.
Check the account that sent you a message in your personal mail on socialmedia, because most of these accounts are fake accounts made by bots, if younotice that they follow many people and in return no one follows them, thenit is definitely a fraudulent fake account.
Email Scams
Email scams are not a new method used by scammers, but people stillfall prey to them every day.
To be fair, a lot of the emails you receive on your account are realmessages from real companies or organizations, this company will follow thecorrect instructions while sending them to targeted people, but this did notprevent spam from appearing.
Many of the websites that we visit now require you to put your e-mail inorder to receive messages from them, for example a news site, but if youprovide your e-mail to an unknown party, you will be surprised that yourmessage board is filled with spam messages.
All sites that give you the ability to open e-mail, such as Google orHotmail, include the feature of filtering received mail, but this does notprevent the success of some suspicious e-mail messages from escaping fromthe fishing filter.
Again, the best way to avoid getting infected with any malware or viruses orfalling into any fake purchase is to block these emails and mark them asspam, so you will protect yourself from any possible scam.
The basic rule that is recommended is not to respond to any e-mail that youdo not know its source or opened in the first place, and make sure thatscammers will use any possible method in order to obtain money, even if thatmethod is illegal.
Some Methods Used by Scammers on The Internet
Well, despite all the flaws that scammers have and their complete lack of amoral compass, but that does not mean that they are not artists and creatorsin their field when they need it, do not get me wrong, I am against theirimmoral actions that they use to reach their goals.
For example, one of the methods they use to defraud or steal people’s datais through Free Wi-Fi Hotspot, as after you register in the network, thephisher will have all the freedom to enter your device and take whateverthey want from it.
One solution to this problem is to prevent any third party from accessingyour files while you are connected to any Wi-Fi network, in addition tomaking sure that the URLs start with “HTTPS” and not “HTTP” which means thatthe sites you visit are protected.
It is good to use one of the good VPN networks , which will give you great security while using the Internet, currently werecommend the surfshark service because it is considered one of the best networks that exist today.
Another sneaky method used by scammers is the scareware game, which is apop-up ad telling you that a dangerous virus has been detected on yourdevice, and we advise you to install this great program to remove this virus .
Until this stage, you are safe, you will download the program and install iton your device, and of course the program will scan your device and searchfor any malware, and here the real fun begins.
In good cases, the program will prompt you to register or purchase a paidversion of the program, and in the worst cases, the program will injectmalicious files into your device and will literally paralyze your device,and your personal information may be stolen or completely encrypted in yourfiles.
The best solution for online fraud protection is to close any pop-up windowthat you find in your browser, and it is preferable to install a goodsecurity program on your device to get a layer of protection against anymalicious programs or files that may enter your device.
How To Avoid Cyber Scams Via The Internet
Well my friend, it’s very simple, just a few things that you need to do inyour device or browser, you will protect yourself from all the many onlinefrauds.
- Get a good VPN service , which will enable you to surf the Internet anonymously and protect your privacy on the Internet, and no one will be able to track you
- Install AdBlock extension to block pop-up ads on your browser to prevent any unwanted ads
- Install a good antivirus program to protect you from any malicious programs or websites
- Avoid downloading any programs or games from unreliable sites
- Avoid accessing any unsecured sites
- Avoid opening any links from unknown sources
- Avoid buying products from unknown sites, even if they are at attractive prices
What Can I do if I Have Been Scammed on The Internet
If you fall into the net of an internet fraudster, it is likely that yourdevice has also been affected.
You may notice slowdowns in your device, pop-up windows or a lot of messagesthat appear to you all the time.
If you are sure that you are targeted, you should clean and reset yourdevice completely, and fortunately, Windows 10 and 11 allow you to keep allyour data as a backup, so be sure to take a copy of your files to use themwhen needed.
If the problem is not resolved, you will have to install the entire system,but you will lose all your private data, and make sure that your device doesnot make a copy of Windows.
Old, because Toolkit programs can pretend that they are part of theoperating system, and they will move to the new version of the system .
If your problem is related to money or a threat of some kind, you can reportinternet fraud to IC3, the cybercrime complaint center, the FBI online scamreporting department, dedicated to dealing with cybercrime.
