Online scam and fraud is not a new issue but it’s a rising threat especially amid the global pandemic.
As online activities continue to rise, no doubt online scammers are on the big move this year, steadily monitoring online users trends and actions to steal personal bio information, bank/card details, pins etc.
Below, I was able to reveal few common scammers’ tricks and formats.
More tricks and formats available!
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1. Scam: Phishing
According to reports by cyber security experts, about one half of all security incidents start with phishing emails or malicious attachments sent to individual emails or to company employees, one affected employee means the entire company mail server is compromised.
‘Phishing’ is one of the oldest online scams ever, where cybercrooks try to trick you via email or social media networks by impersonating a legitimate company or organization. The message in one hand, ask you to open or download an attachment, on the other hand it may ask you to access or correct a mouth watery information with the ultimate aim of stealing your personal information and in-turn your money.
How to Spot it?
1. These emails always want you take an action.
2. They all have something in common: a sense of urgency to get you worried or excited about something.
3. Poor use of grammar, spelling reveals that it’s in fact bogus.
If you DO NOT ignore, the link will take you to a page that will deceive you to enter personal information & other details the scammers plan to steal.
What to do about it?
Now you have just received an email that you suspect to be spam?
#1 rule: Never provide any sensitive data to anybody online or on phone. Sensitive information or data like: password, passcode, pin, debit card (ATM) numbers etc.
No matter the desperation, juicy offer, how easy or true you feel; Your best bet is to verify how legitimate the information or company by physically visiting the company or take some research online.
ALSO, tap or click on ‘sender/more details’ to reveal the recipient and sender email addresses. From the screenshot above;
1). Appears as ‘GTBank E-Statement‘ ;
2). Click or tap ‘more details’, the email is not in brand name- GTBank;
3). Same as 2, email do not match the company brand name- Netflix.
2. Scam: Pharming
Pharming and Phishing are very similar.
In summary, while Phishing try to trick you into sending cash or disclosing personal information; Pharming can be a little more sophisticated, meaning it can be harder to figure out if it’s scam or not.
Essentially, pharming is the art of directing you to the fake website of a legitimate website, often online banking, online payment page, eCommerce site etc.
It is important to be more vigilant at such a time as this: Fraudwatch International has revealed that since the pandemic outbreak within the last 10 months, more than 3,600 new domain names have been created containing the word “coronavirus”, many of which are used for pharming and phishing.
How to Spot it?
The images below are examples of pharming emails.
1. On receiving such emails, tap or click ‘more details’ labelled as ‘A’ to reveal all details.
What to do about it?
1. Check if the revealed emails as labelled in ‘B’ and ‘D’ are known, familiar or if they carry the name of the company, if NOT, do not take any action such as clicking any link or downloading any attachment, labelled as ‘C’ and ‘E’.
2. For any link in the body of the email, please do the following:-
a. right click the link if using desktop; If using mobile, tap and hold;
b. go to ‘copy link address’;
c. paste somewhere to reveal the link.
3. If such link is not known or not same name as organization or company or brand name, abandon and DO NOT click it.
3. Scam: Bank Debit & KYC
Bank Scams are increasingly becoming popular and scammers are gaining mastery of this art by using ‘fear’ to collect sensitive bank information from bank account holders. Some people are seeing their money disappear after receiving a bank debit email, SMS or a spoof call- All are scams!
For the purpose of brevity, I will dwell on scam debit emails, how to spot it and what to do!
How to Spot it?
According to a friend Brian Higgins, security specialist. “Bank Scam is very easy these days because there’s so much intellectual property available online. Scammers are able to just take logos, letterheads etc, off the internet and create a message or email that looks legitimate.
So how do you spot it?
1. Look in the email header as seen in the images below:
Box 1 subject title reads ‘GTBank E-Statement’, don’t be in a hurry and be fooled, click ‘more details’.
Box 2 reveals the true email ‘info@lagoscitypolytechnic.edu.ng’.
When did GTbank turn a polytechnic?
This is a scam!
2. Read the body of message, it tries to create fear and requires you to take an action by simply clicking any of the red links; IF you did, then sooner or later you’d be seeing your money disappear.
What to do about it?
Shockingly, bank scammers do this via SMS and phone calls too.
Let’s say you get an email or phone call or SMS, which you think is from your bank, saying that your account details have changed.
The bottom line is, do NOT reply any SMS or divulge any information relating to your bank account on phone; Rather, go into a branch of your bank and deal.
See more scammers tricks & formats.
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Complete Contents:
1. Scam: Phishing
2. Scam: Pharming
3. Scam: Bank Debit & KYC
4. Scam: Mobile Apps
5. Scam: Social Apps
6. Scam: Job offer
7. Scam: Online Dating Website
8. Scam: Cryptojacking/currency
9. Scam: Nigerian type
10. Scam: Overpayment Online Scam
11. Scam: eCommerce Scam
12. Scam: SMS Scam
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