The internet has brought a whole lot of benefits to our lives. We don’t have to rely on the local market anymore. We can get whatever we want, no matter what part of the world it is available at. We don’t have to spend hours looking for the perfect item. We can just search for it at home. Whatever we want, we can get it on our doorstep. And there are a million other things that we can do that we couldn’t do before. But as our dependency on the internet increases, it has also increased the number of online scams and frauds that we have to face. With everything going online like shopping, dating, banking, and others, the chances that someone will access our private and confidential information and use it against us has also risen.
Some Common Scams Online
You must have received emails from a Nigerian prince or someone claiming to own millions and willing to split it with you right down the middle, or an email saying that you have won the lottery or some other random but too good to be true prize. Similar to this, we have online shopping scams where you pay for a product but never get it, or get something else, something that you never wanted. But don’t let us scare you. As frauds and scams increase so does the security of institutes. Now you have secure banking facilities and trustworthy binary options broker that you can deal with confidently. All you have to do is to take care of a few things at your end and you can easily identify online scams and frauds and protect yourself from them.
What Can You Do To Avoid Online Fraud?
Online fraud is growing every month and it can ruin your life if you let it. Here’s what you can do to ensure safety, security and overall good experience online:
Top 10 Ways To Prevent Online Fraud
1. Beware Of Suspicious Emails And Attachments
This is the most common type of scams that almost everyone with an email address faces time and again. No matter how mysterious or inviting the email looks, never open that email or an attachment when you don’t know the sender. Also, keep an eye on what type of extension the attachment has. This can keep you and your system from being hacked and all your precious data from getting stolen.
Another thing that can happen is that you receive an official-looking email that might be sent from your employer, bank, government, or some other institute that you interact with and they ask you for your information for security purposes and to verify your account. Never trust emails like these. Your employer will never email you to verify your whereabouts or anything else. Also, if the email is from some government agency or your bank, call them on their official numbers and verify whether they have sent the mail or not.
2. Antivirus And Antimalware
Each day there are hundreds of viruses and malware released on the internet from someone or the other. That is why first of all you need to have the proper security software on all your devices. And second of all, you need to keep them up to date. An outdated antivirus is of no use. Make sure that you regularly update your software so that they can identify the latest risks and act accordingly.
3. Don’t Overshare On Social Media
Almost all of us are active on various social media channels and we have hundreds if not thousands of friends and followers. You might even be an influencer and have quite a following. But when it comes to social media, exactly how many of your ‘friends’ do you actually know? Just a fraction of them. So make sure that when you are talking to your friends, you don’t share any of your personal information or your account information.
4. Safe Payment Methods
When you shop online, make sure that you only use trusted and safe payment methods. If something looks fishy, it’s because it actually is. Insist on wire transfer services like Western Union or some other trustworthy service.
5. Use Strong And Unique Passwords
Gone are the days when you would have kept ‘YourName1234’ or ‘ILoveName’ or some other similar phrases for your passwords. Now you need to have strong and unique passwords for everything, from your personal accounts to your Wi-Fi device. Avoid public wireless networks because there is a good chance that someone is waiting for you to connect just so they can use your information.
6. Online Contests And Sweepstakes
No matter how much you are in need of money, never fall for the online contest and sweepstakes routine. Even though it is one of the oldest scams, people still fall for it in this day and age. So keep as far away from online sweepstakes and contests where you get swindled out of your personal information and more.
7. Use HTTPS everywhere
Make sure that you only interact with websites that are secured with SSL. This means that all the communication on that website is encrypted and no one can track you. In general it's also just a basic sign of a reputable website.
8. If You Fall For A Scam, Report It
Even after doing everything you can to protect yourself, you might still end up falling prey to a fraud or a scam. When something like this happens, never stay quiet about it. Immediately contact the authorities and let them know about everything that happened. Also, file a report with your local police department so they can conduct an investigation if it is local.
9. Always Track Your Finances
Make sure that you are always in the know of where your money is going and how much of it is going there. Some scammers might steal your money and you would never know about it.
10. Avoid Telemarketers
As more and more people give their basic contact information on websites for earning rewards or subscribing to newsletters, the number of telephone calls to people has increased. Avoid these telemarketing calls at any cost.
Remain Fraud Free Onlne
Not only do you have to work with trustworthy and reliable institutes when you are online, but you also have to take care of it yourself as well. Keep these 10 points in mind and you can save yourself a lot of trouble with fraud, viruses, hackers, and scams.