Common Scam Tactics And How To Avoid Them

In this day and age we keep absolutely everything about us in our electronic devices and it is far to easy and common to fall victim to cyber scams. If someone who’s just a little bit tech savvy with ill intent wants to scam you, it isn’t too difficult unless you’ve set up proper security measures and know what the scams look like.

Spoofing

Spoofing is when scammers falsify caller ID information so when they call you it appears as a local phone number or legitimate company when really the call could be coming from anywhere in the world. It’s an attempt  to make you believe they’re calling from a credible source so they could, for example, call you and tell you that you owe money to your bank or to the IRS and the caller ID would appear as those institutions. They may also try to scare you into saying that if you don’t pay immediately then you’ll go to prison or something. The best way to avoid these scams and verify whether or not you are getting a legitimate call is to ask them where they’re calling from, take down their phone number, then look up the company they said they work for and look up that company’s actual phone number/customer service number. Then make an outgoing call to the company and find out what’s going on. They should then be able to verify whether or not the information you have been told is true.

Phishing

Phishing scams are an attempt to appear as a legitimate company to get you to send money or get personal information from you. It’s not like spoofing where they falsify caller ID information. Phishing instead is an attempt that is usually in the form of a text or email. They will pose as a legitimate company and change the name and email addresses very subtly so it’s hard to tell. For example, lets say you get an email from Bank Of Arnerica saying you have a pass due bill and if you don’t pay it then your account will be closed or frozen. If you look back at the sentence where I typed Bank Of Arnerica you’ll notice the “m” was replaced with “r” and “n”. The best thing to do is just be on guard when you’re being asked to send money or you’re being threatened via text or email. Similarly to the spoofing scams, take note of the company that is allegedly contacting you along with their email, name, and phone number if it’s included, then look up the company’s phone number directly from the internet and make an outgoing call to the actual company and do not respond through or click on any links or contact info in the text or email.

Fake Social Media Profiles

There are an increasing number of fake profiles that will attempt to pose as someone who they’re not to get information from you. They may pose as someone you know or someone you want to know. They may pretend to be someone that is reaching out as a business opportunity and they’ll ask you to send them money and tell you that if you invest then then they’ll 10x your money. They may be pretending to be someone you’re attracted too in order to get you to provide them with personal information or money. Just be aware that there are ways to verify whether or not the account is legitimate or not. Some ways to tell are:

• If a profile follows significantly more accounts than it has followers or vice versa.
• The account has a very vague profile description
• The account has no profile picture
• The account has no posts and no engagement on their posts such as comments and likes

On a lot of platforms, legitimate accounts will have a blue verified check mark. On What’s App the check mark is green so the color may vary but it’s a good way to verify people are who they say they are because the social media company will ask for pictures of ID or selfies to prove their identity.

And the cardinal rule is that if you’ve never met them in person or you don’t know anyone who knows them, be careful about what you say and definitely don’t click on any links.

Fake Claims

Fake claims can happen with any sort of scam whether it’s through email phishing, spoofing, fake profiles, etc. A fake claim is when they try to threaten or scare you if you don’t send them money. They may say things like:

• If you don’t pay this right now you’ll be arrested.
• If you don’t pay immediately then your account at “X” company will be closed.
• This is the police and if you don’t pay a ticket you’ll go to jail.
• This is the IRS and if you don’t pay us we’re going to come after you.

Scammers get creative with their fake claims but just realize that if you feel like you’re being scared or threatened, contact the company that they’re pretending to be directly and find out what’s going on.

Fake Names And Credentials

Scammers will try to give themselves credibility by posing as someone you know or tell you that they’re a doctor, government official, police officer etc. and again, simply take down their information and call the organization directly if you’re unsure.

Pop Ups

Pop up scams will entice you to click on the pop up link out of fear or because it’s so annoying you just give in and click on it. Never click on a pop up link, call or text a phone number in a pop up or reach out through email. These links will usually contain some type of malware that seeks to hijack your device or steal your personal information. Beware of pop ups that tell you:

• Your computer/phone has a virus.
• Click here to clean your device.
• Click here to get rid of the virus on your phone.
• Your device has been compromised.

Anything along those lines just simply close your browser or the app that you’re on, get away from it, and don’t go back.

Robocalls

Robocalls are automated messages that will get you to give out personal information or record your voice to steal your identity. No company will call you with an automated message. Don’t press any numbers if you’re asked to do so and don’t answer any “Yes” or “No” questions. Hang up and block the number.

Lead Lists

If you are on a “sucker list” it’s because scammers have probably shared information on the web or in person with other scammers and have identified you as an easy target.

Secrecy

Scammers will try to get you to stay silent about their scams to prevent someone from trying to prevent you from being scammed.

Persuasion

Scammers will do anything to gain your trust. They will use social engineering tactics, flattery and charm in an attempt to get you to give them money or personal information about yourself.

• Don’t

• Don’t ever give away any information through calls, texts, or emails if you’re not 100% aware of who’s on the other end of the message.
• Don’t argue with scammers if you think it’s a scam as you may give them exactly what they need.
• Don’t click on pop up links.
• Don’t respond to phishing emails.
• Don’t give too much information through social media.
• Don’t post where you’re going or where you are in real time.

• Do

• Contact the person or company they say they’re calling from directly or in person.
• Block and report numbers that you have verified are scams.
• Block and report phishing emails.
• Block and report fake social media profiles.
• Find ways to verify who you’re talking to through social media the internet.