Online Scams are still flourishing and you need to watch your back so you don’t lose your life and money. These scams are found on websites and apps that genuinely have convinced us of their legitimacy. Are you being served or are you serving a service? Ask yourself. If the service you are getting doesn’t go through well, then how well do you think you will be able to solve this issue? Ask yourself because you know calling the police or the cops to get your money back may not even be possible! Let’s just take a look at these common scams and you are going to realise it’s everywhere but you are still a victim if you don’t take steps to protect yourself.

PHISHING Phishers usually take on the persona of someone trustworthy – a friend, neighbour or colleague – in an attempt to get you to hand over information or click a malicious link via email, social media or other messaging apps like WhatsApp.

The most important step in spotting a phishing attempt is to take your time reviewing the email or message. This will help you spot inconsistencies, like misspelled names, poor grammar in the text and links that don’t lead to the place they should.

FAKE ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE

This usually happens when you’re browsing the web and all of a sudden you get a pop up saying that your computer/Android device is now infected, and it’s usually an online scam. These fake antivirus software ads and pop ups want you to download their free software, which will only give you a virus, malware or ransomware, among other cyberthreats to destroy your device further.

MAKE MONEY EASY AND FAST SCAMS
At some point in your life you have probably been scammed of money by someone but these online money scams exist for so long and continue to manipulate our minds. But your common sense can spot it! A scammer tells you he is worth $100 billion but you don’t even know his name.

These scam websites, which often say you can make a week’s worth of salary in just a few hours, lure you in with false promises. They then get you to hand over personal and financial information, often sensitive by nature.

FAKE SHOPPING WEBSITES AND FORMJACKING
These websites, which are mostly unknown, try to scam you, even giving you “great deals” that are up to 75 percent off.

Similarly, groups of cybercriminals are now commonly using formjacking – a new cyberthreat that steals credit card information. This can happen when a legitimate e-commerce website is hacked (without the owners knowing), allowing cybercriminals to redirect you to different URLs in the payment process that look similar but actually steal your information.

COVID-19 ONLINE SCAMS.
Scammers have increasingly taken advantage of the increase in COVID-19 communications by disguising their scams as legitimate messages about the virus. Alongside emails, scammers may also use text messages, automated calls and malicious websites. These include:

• Fake health organizations.
• Websites that sell fake products.
• Bogus government sources.
• Fake nonprofit donation requests.

DISASTER RELIEF SCAMS
When disaster strikes—whether it’s a pandemic or weather-related—so do fraudsters. Hiding behind the guise of an actual aid organization, scammers will use a tragedy or natural disaster to con you out of your money. Be careful.

LOTTERY SCAM
Congratulations! You’ve won the lottery or some other large amount of money! Except you haven’t. This bogus email comes to you out-of-the-blue—usually claiming to be a part of an international sweepstakes—stressing that you’ve won big and that you just need to send over a processing fee or to get in touch with someone who can process your winnings. Be-aware!

Take Note; if anyone is asking for your bank or personal information, you’re being scammed. You should never give out personal information to anyone on the internet who contacts you directly. If you have to make a financial transaction online, make sure you’re doing so on a secure server and through a reputable site.

Live The Joy Life!