In this article, we will talk about Internet security, specifically the types of scams that you may encounter while using the Internet, and how to detect them and not fall into their trap.
Online phishing present on many sites such as social networking sites, this place that contains millions of visitors per day, or through unsolicited emails, or pop-ups via ads, or browser extensions.
Currently, these methods are considered one of the most popular methods used by fraudsters to spread everything they want, and unfortunately there are many users who fall into the net of massive fraudsters, and it has become difficult to detect them because they resort to crooked ways to do so.
However, in order to raise awareness about these frauds that are repeated daily and preventing online fraud, we will mention some of the methods used by 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 the social media, but did you also know who has an account on one of these platforms? Yes, fraudsters, criminals, and even those who steal other people's accounts for personal or commercial purposes.
In many cases, social media scams come in the form of so-called products, where scam artists will usually try to contact you directly or indirectly to selling you one of their products.
You will receive very attractive offers in addition to listing exclusive discounts for these products with the aim of selling them to the largest number of people, but in the end you will be shocked by the real amount of the product, or you will not get the product in the first place.
Another way to defraud through social media is through DMed links, which invite you to click on this link to enter a contest to win a car or the last iPad on the market and other beautiful promises.
After open the link, spy bots will be downloaded to your device, or tracking viruses will be injected into your browser, and in many cases your device will be hacked, and you will notice that emails or promotional offers appear out 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 to deceive people that their products belong to this company, and unfortunately, many people are deceived by this trick.
The best solution to this problem is not to open any links whose source you are not sure, or accept any direct messages from anyone you do not know or follow, and it is best to attend any account that you suspect is a fraudulent account, and thus you will avoid any problems in the future.
Check the account that sent you a message in your personal mail on social media, because most of these accounts are fake accounts made by bots, if you notice that they follow many people and in return no one follows them, then it is definitely a fraudulent fake account.
Email Scams
Email scams are not a new method used by scammers, but people still fall prey to them every day.
To be fair, a lot of the emails you receive on your account are real messages from real companies or organizations, this company will follow the correct instructions while sending them to targeted people, but this did not prevent spam from appearing.
Many of the websites that we visit now require you to put your e-mail in order to receive messages from them, for example a news site, but if you provide your e-mail to an unknown party, you will be surprised that your message board is filled with spam messages.
All sites that give you the ability to open e-mail, such as Google or Hotmail, include the feature of filtering received mail, but this does not prevent the success of some suspicious e-mail messages from escaping from the fishing filter.
Again, the best way to avoid getting infected with any malware or viruses or falling into any fake purchase is to block these emails and mark them as spam, so you will protect yourself from any possible scam.
The basic rule that is recommended is not to respond to any e-mail that you do not know its source or opened in the first place, and make sure that scammers will use any possible method in order to obtain money, even if that method is illegal.
Some Methods Used by Scammers on The Internet
Well, despite all the flaws that scammers have and their complete lack of a moral compass, but that does not mean that they are not artists and creators in their field when they need it, do not get me wrong, I am against their immoral actions that they use to reach their goals.
For example, one of the methods they use to defraud or steal people's data is through Free Wi-Fi Hotspot, as after you register in the network, the phisher will have all the freedom to enter your device and take whatever they want from it.
One solution to this problem is to prevent any third party from accessing your files while you are connected to any Wi-Fi network, in addition to making sure that the URLs start with “HTTPS” and not “HTTP” which means that the 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 we recommend 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 a pop-up ad telling you that a dangerous virus has been detected on your device, 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 it on your device, and of course the program will scan your device and search for any malware, and here the real fun begins.
In good cases, the program will prompt you to register or purchase a paid version of the program, and in the worst cases, the program will inject malicious files into your device and will literally paralyze your device, and your personal information may be stolen or completely encrypted in your files.
The best solution for online fraud protection is to close any pop-up window that you find in your browser, and it is preferable to install a good security program on your device to get a layer of protection against any malicious 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 in your device or browser, you will protect yourself from all the many online frauds.
- 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 your device has also been affected.
You may notice slowdowns in your device, pop-up windows or a lot of messages that appear to you all the time.
If you are sure that you are targeted, you should clean and reset your device completely, and fortunately, Windows 10 and 11 allow you to keep all your data as a backup, so be sure to take a copy of your files to use them when 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 does not make a copy of Windows.
Old, because Toolkit programs can pretend that they are part of the operating 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 report internet fraud to IC3, the cybercrime complaint center, the FBI online scam reporting department, dedicated to dealing with cybercrime.
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