Types of fraud on the Internet and how to avoid becoming a victim

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The Internet has become such a familiar part of our lives that we sometimes forget that not everyone we cross paths with online has our best interests at heart. Cybercriminals are ubiquitous and do everything they can to capitalize on ordinary internet users, so the threat of online fraud is always something to be aware of. The best way to protect yourself from online scammers is to be aware of the risks and know how to avoid them. Here we will look at the main forms of fraud on the Internet and learn how to prevent yourself from being deceived.

1. Job offer scam​

This type of scam has become especially popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea is that you receive an email from a stranger offering you a job, usually unrelated to your area of expertise, such as being a mystery shopper or something like that. If you accept the offer, you are paid by check or money order for an amount that is slightly more than the pre-agreed amount. After this you are asked to return the difference. Of course, the check or money order turns out to be fake, and you lose the money you sent to the fake employer.

Thanks to the proliferation of business networking sites such as Linkedin, unexpected offers from employers have become commonplace, which means anyone who wants to make money must be able to distinguish between real offers and fraudulent schemes.

How to avoid becoming a victim of a job offer scam​

If you accept the offer, never cash suspicious checks without making sure they are not counterfeit. To be on the safe side, ask your bank to freeze the funds until the check or money order is authenticated. If you are asked to return the difference, this is a clear sign that you are dealing with a scammer.

2. Lottery scam​

According to some reports, lottery fraud was the fourth most popular type of fraud in the United States in 2020 . Here's a typical scenario: you receive an email telling you that you've won a large sum in an unknown lottery, usually in another country. To receive your winnings you are offered to pay money. Typically, scammers claim that it is an insurance fee, income tax, bank commission or courier fee. You are also asked to send information to confirm your identity, and now you are a victim of identity theft, and your money is gone.

There is another variation to this scheme: the scammer gains access to his victim's social media account, contacts his friends and relatives and tells them that they have all won money. He then sends an email address for instructions on how to claim your winnings. This is a particularly devious scheme because the scammer exploits the trust between friends and family members to trick them out of money.

How to avoid becoming a victim of lottery fraud​

There are several obvious signs of lottery fraud:

• the sender of the letter is an individual, not a company;
• you are not the only one on the mailing list;
• This is the first time you have heard about this lottery.

If you receive a letter like this, try searching the Internet for information confirming that you actually won money (this always turns out to be untrue). People tend to believe in luck, but if you haven't bought a lottery ticket, you shouldn't count on winning. Never email your personal information to people you don't know personally, and never trust anyone who promises you free cheese.

3. Money transfer fraud​

You receive an email from someone who needs to quickly transfer money somewhere. Sometimes the sender poses as a person of royal blood (you've probably heard of the "Nigerian prince" ), but more often - as a businessman who needs to withdraw several million from the country, and he asks for your help in exchange for a percentage of the amount. The letter contains just enough information to make the offer credible. But the transfer of money is inevitably delayed, and you are already on the hook and forced to make many small payments - supposedly to speed up the withdrawal of money.

How to avoid becoming a victim of money transfer fraud​

If you are broke, you can easily fall for such a scam. But there are a number of signs by which you can understand that the offer is not as good as it seems. If the letter contains spelling and grammatical errors, and the return address does not match the sender's address, this is again a reason to remember that free cheese only comes in a mousetrap. This is especially true for the Internet.

4. Online dating scam​

“ Romantic” scams are becoming more common. You meet someone through an online dating app or site, you start to get to know each other better, and nothing seems suspicious. But you don't know who is really on the other side of the screen. If your virtual friend contacts you with a request to send him money or send someone things that he will send you, know that you are faced with a scammer.

These scammers are sometimes called catfishers. They often impersonate real people to make their deception seem believable and their life details to be convincing. But to cover their tracks, they send fake photos and contact information. Fraud on dating sites, or “romantic” scams, have a number of characteristic features:

• demonstration of strong emotions at the very beginning of communication;
• an attempt to immediately move from a dating site or application to more private communication channels;
• please send money to help out in a difficult life situation (for example, to treat a relative or to save a business).

How to avoid becoming a victim of online dating scams​

To avoid becoming a victim of a “romantic” scam, you need to be wary of virtual relationships that develop too quickly. Never send money to people you don't have a relationship with in real life. If you are arranging to meet someone outside of cyberspace, let your loved ones know where you are going, just in case.

5. Charity Fraud​

After large-scale natural disasters and other high-profile human tragedies, people want to help the victims in any way they can, and scammers know how to profit from this. They create fake donation sites, open accounts, and then use emotionally charged emails to collect money that never reaches the victims. Scammers succeed because they capitalize on human empathy, so you always need to study the situation. Check donation sites to make sure they are actually raising money for their stated causes.

How to avoid becoming a victim of charity scams​

To avoid falling for online scammers acting under the guise of charity, never make donations through dubious sites. A truly existing charitable foundation should have an informative website that states the organization's mission and provides documents for tax deductions. To check the legitimacy of a charity, search for it in official databases such as Charity Check, CharityWatch, BBB Wise Giving Alliance or Charity Navigator.

6. Coronavirus scams​

The pandemic has opened up new opportunities for attackers. They began to invent new fraudulent schemes and present old ones under the new sauce of coronavirus realities.

Here are some examples.

• Fraudsters posed as non-existent charities to collect donations from the public.
• Scammers have been offering fake coronavirus tests, non-existent vaccines or treatments, and targeting Medicare beneficiaries in an attempt to steal their personal information.
• Fraudsters created fake websites with maps of the spread of the COVID-19 virus and numbers of deaths and recoveries for individual countries. In reality, these websites were breeding grounds for computer viruses, malware and spyware that infected visitors' devices.

How to avoid becoming a victim of coronavirus-related scams​

As with any charity scam, check the legitimacy of the charity against the official database. Never transfer money or provide personal information, bank card details or online account credentials to strangers. Check each website carefully to make sure it is not fake. Do not click on links or open attachments contained in suspicious emails.

7. False technical support​

This type of scam starts in the real world but quickly moves online. A person calls you, introduces himself as an employee of Microsoft or another large software development company and offers help in solving a computer problem, for example, slow Internet or low data loading speed. The offer looks useful, so when they email you a link to a remote access program, you download it and thereby allow scammers to take control of your computer and install malware on it. Not all users are well versed in computer technology; many do not even know how a computer works, and it is easy for scammers to deceive them. By installing malware, scammers gain access to files, personal data and other personal information.

How to avoid being fooled by fake tech support​

Never listen to unsolicited advice or order any repair work until you are sure that the speaker is who he says he is. Do not give anyone remote access to your computer. If an unknown person calls you, ask him to provide information that will confirm his status. It is possible that if you ask a lot of questions, the scammer will understand that they will not be able to deceive you.

8. Social media scams​

Social media scams are becoming more common and varied in form.

Here are some examples.

• You are offered to take a test on a social network: to determine your personality type or find out which celebrity you are like, or they promise a tempting prize for winning a quiz. The terms of participation will usually contain a clause permitting the sale of information you provide to third parties. In addition, the test developer may have access to your profile data, friends list, and IP address. With all this information, the scammer can start impersonating you online.
• You receive a friend request on Instagram from a scammer pretending to be someone you know. It then sends you a phishing link that takes you to a malicious website.
• You download an application from a social network that seems legitimate to you, but in fact installs malware on your device.

How to avoid becoming a victim of social media scams​

Never take tests or click on pop-ups or windows that contain shocking content or offers that are too good to be true. Do not click on links or open attachments contained in emails from unknown sources.

Be wary of shortened URLs, which hide the full location of a web page. These URLs are common on Twitter, and while they are usually harmless and will take you to a website, there is always a chance they will redirect you to a malware-infected site.

9. Fraud using voice bots​

If you hear not a live person on the phone, but a recorded voice, it means it’s a voice bot. Voice bots sometimes provide useful information, such as appointment reminders or flight cancellations. But most often they are used for “cold” marketing calls, some of which are often fraudulent.

There are ways to commit fraud on the Internet using voice bots.

• A call from the IRS demanding payment of a non-existent tax debt and threatening to block your social security number otherwise.
• A call on behalf of a large technology company, such as Apple, asking for information that a real company would never ask a customer over the phone.
• A call offering a free trial of a product or service in order to lure out your bank card details.

How to avoid becoming a victim of fraud using voice bots​

It is best not to answer the call at all if you suspect that a bot is calling. This cannot always be understood in advance, so if you already answer the call, hang up as soon as you realize that it is a voice bot. Do not follow the bot’s instructions, for example: “Press number 1 to contact an operator,” etc. If possible, do not say the word “yes.” Many robocalls begin with the question, “Hello, can you hear me well?”, to which many automatically respond with “Yes.” Fraudsters record sound in order to later use the recording for their own unseemly purposes.

Any response or positive reaction to such a call is a signal to the scammer that you are a prospect, so it is best to keep interaction to a minimum. In the US, robocalls can be reported to the Federal Trade Commission through donotcall.gov.

10. Fraudulent messages​

Fraudsters use messaging services and instant messengers such as SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Skype, Google Hangouts and others to scam people out of money. Phishing using SMS has even been called “smishing.”

There are many fraudulent schemes using instant messengers. Here are some examples.

• You receive an SMS notification that you have received a package, to receive which you need to confirm your identity or pay the delivery cost.
• You receive a message purporting to be from your bank stating that your account will be closed or your debit card will be blocked and you will be subject to a fine. To prevent this from happening, you need to verify your account (on a fake website, of course).
• You receive a message about a big win, but to receive it you must provide your payment details.

How to avoid falling for scam messages​

If the organization on whose behalf the message came has not contacted you via messenger before, this is the first warning sign. Official organizations will not send unexpected messages via instant messenger asking for personal or confidential information. Check your message for spelling or grammatical errors. If the message appears unprofessional, it may be a sign of an online scam. If in doubt, do not click on any links or provide any personal or financial information.

11. Fake online stores​

The latest technologies make it possible to create fake online store sites that look just like the real thing. Fraudsters steal logos and copy page designs. On such sites, users are offered popular brands of clothing, jewelry or electronics at low prices. Sometimes users receive a paid order, but most often they do not. Recently, scammers often create online stores on social networks. Such stores quickly disappear, only to be reborn under a different name.

How to recognize a fake online store​

If a product is offered at an incredibly low price, this is a clear sign of fraud. Another sign is if the seller insists on prepayment or payment by electronic or wire transfer. Sometimes you'll even be asked to purchase vouchers to gain access to a sale or promotion.

How to spot fake websites​

An important element of your internet security is being able to recognize fake websites. Here are some tips to avoid scam websites.

Always check the site's domain name, especially if you access it from a link in an email or on another web page. The domains of fraudulent websites are often very similar to those of well-known brands or organizations and may differ by just one letter or extra word.

If in doubt, look for more information about the domain. The Whois Lookup domain tracker domain search service contains information about who, when and where exactly the domain is registered.

It can also be useful to check the address bar of a website. Any site that asks you to enter personal information should be secure and its URL should begin with https:// rather than http://. The letter “s” just means that the site is protected. This is also indicated by the lock icon in the address bar. This icon means that the site has an SSL security certificate.

The reliability of a site can also be judged by its content. If the content looks sloppy and contains spelling or grammatical errors, this is a red flag. If the website of an online store has little information or no terms of service, privacy policy or return policy, this may indicate that the site is fake.

When purchasing a product online, check for secure payment methods. Legitimate websites offer standard payment methods - by credit card or PayPal. If the site asks you to pay for your purchase by wire transfer, money order, or other unsecured (and non-refundable) method, it is safer to refrain from such a purchase.

Another useful website review tool is customer reviews. You need to look for them on special review aggregator sites. If all the reviews seem strangely similar to each other or are left very recently, keep in mind that they may be custom-made. If there are no reviews at all, this is a reason to be wary.

How to avoid becoming a victim of cyber scammers​

Here are some simple preventative recommendations for those who do not want to become victims of cyber fraudsters.

1. Be wary of requests to transfer money or provide personal information​

Do not provide bank card details or login information for online accounts, or send money or copies of personal documents to strangers. Use only secure payment methods that you know. Do not agree to a request to send money or things to someone: money laundering is punishable by law.

2. Beware of phishing​

Phishing is a component of many fraudulent schemes. Do not click on links or open attachments contained in emails or messages from dubious sources. Do not respond to unexpected messages or calls asking for personal or financial information.

3. Do not respond to calls asking for remote access to your computer.​

If the caller claims to be from a large telecommunications or technology company and wants access to your computer to solve a problem, hang up immediately. In fact, he needs access to your computer in order to install malware on it, with which he can steal your passwords and other personal data.

4. Protect your mobile devices and computers​

To protect your devices, use passwords and do not give anyone access to them (including remote access). Set a password to protect your wireless network and do not use public computers or Wi-Fi networks to log into online banking or transmit personal information.

5. Use strong passwords​

A strong password is difficult to guess and ideally should be a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, special characters and numbers. People often do not change their passwords for years, which reduces their security. A password manager is a great tool for managing your passwords.

6. Check the security and privacy settings of your social media accounts​

If you use social media, be careful when communicating and use your privacy and security settings to protect yourself. If any user behaves suspiciously, if you open a spam message or encounter a scammer, take steps to protect your account and report the violation.

7. Do not connect to streams on unfamiliar sites​

Streaming content on unfamiliar and possibly pirated websites is likely to be a source of malware. Cybercriminals often offer pirated content for free to lure more visitors. Use only well-known and reliable streaming platforms.

8. Ignore requests to act immediately.​

Legitimate companies always give you time to think. If someone starts pressuring you and demanding to pay money or provide personal information, they may be a scammer.

9. Free cheese only comes in a mousetrap.​

If on any website or when communicating on the Internet you are offered incredibly large discounts or unrealistically large prizes, be careful. As the famous proverb says, free cheese only comes in a mousetrap.

In general, be vigilant and wary of unexpected emails or calls asking for personal information. In the US, online scams can be reported to the Federal Trade Commission. Similar organizations exist in other countries of the world.

The best way to protect yourself from online scammers is to install security software on all your devices and update it regularly. Beware of fake antivirus programs: scammers usually distribute malicious code under their guise. Purchase and download anti-virus software only on the manufacturer’s official website.

(c) https://www.kaspersky.ru/resource-center/threats/top-scams-how-to-avoid-becoming-a-victim