The Most Common Online Fraud Schemes - Internet Marketing 101 - BizReport
We all heard that the Internet is not a safe place. Chances are, we've heard it enough to believe in it as if it was one more physics law. However, not many people can elaborate on why and how it is dangerous when asked. Yes, the Internet can put us in risky situations. However, do we have the skills and experience to recognize those dangerous situations before they happen to us? Unfortunately, it seems like we don't. Many fraud schemes exist and prosper, and people suffer from them on a regular basis.
Internet safety is important. It can be the difference between losing or keeping all your money or identity. Hence, you must realize how to protect yourself online. To do so, you need to know what danger online looks like. Here are some of the most common online fraud schemes that you definitely must know and recognize at first glance.
Phishing Scams
It's fair to name phishing scams as the most common form of fraud online. They are everywhere. Usually, most of us can recognize one when we see it. Though, at times, hackers truly go creative and get out of their ways to confuse us. So, a phishing scam usually comes in the form of an email that tries to redirect you to an external site.
Usually, these emails try to look reliable and professional. They may copy the emailing style of your bank, university, or famous retailer. Hence, just by its appearance, you tend to let your guard down and follow the instructions. A person then opens a link where they are asked to confirm their email and password. Once you have filled those fields, you put yourself in great danger. Now, hackers can have access to all your personal information and data. It also makes your device vulnerable to further hacking attempts. You may not even know that it is going while your Internet use is not safe anymore.
Tech Support Scams
We can be rather oblivious to Internet safety or how to secure our gadgets. At the same time, we all fear any online scams. Well, these two are very contradicting behaviors that create a perfect playing field for scammers. First, a tech support scam can be any type of pop-up message on your computer that "informs" you about the virus or other threat to your computer. Next, the goal of the cammers is to make you follow their instructions. These can be anything from paying them for "fixing" the problem to actually giving you a real virus once you follow the link they send. You can ask any custom essay writing service to explain to you what terrible damage certain viruses can do to your devices.
Fake Shopping Websites
Fake shopping websites are exactly what they sound like. These are the sites that pretend to be selling products or services, like an Amazon or any respected academic paper writing service. Often, they lure people in by offering great deals and rare products. Sometimes, such sites even copy the URLs and design of other famous shopping sites. So if you are not paying enough attention, you will fall under the impression that you are on an official legal site, when in reality, you are not. People are hooked on the offers and ready to buy stuff from the site.
Well, here is where the fraud begins. You will never receive what you have paid for. At best, you receive a poor copy of the original copy you actually wanted. At worst, you won't receive anything at all and will wait for weeks until you realize that you were scammed.
Formjacking
Formjacking is a rather serious crime. This scam is also happening among shopping sites. However, this time, no one is trying to fake an original retailer. Instead, you are, indeed, shopping on the true and legal sites. However, the fraud begins when it's time to pay. Here, the hackers redirect you from the original payment page to the one created by them. So, when you move on to pay, you are not paying the shop as you think. Instead, you are giving money to the frauds.
Once again, this type of fraud is hard to notice once you have already paid. The money is gone. You never receive your product and proceed to complain to the managers of the sites. To avoid all of that, you should pay close attention to the URL of the payment page. It must be the same as the sites you were shopping on. Often, hackers make the slightest changes to confuse you. So be careful.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, the online scheme methods are not changing much over the years. However, it doesn't mean they don't work. On the contrary, millions of people become victims of these cams every year. All because people tend to feel safer and safer online and learn to trust the online world. There is nothing wrong with that. However, to be careful, you must pay attention and use gadgets wisely. So, the next time you find something like the invitation to receive free economic term papers, you better make sure you read it on a reliable site you can trust.
This content was originally published here.
