8 Fraud Threats You Need To Know About

Online fraud has spiked during the pandemic as more people have turned to the internet to complete their everyday tasks. Here are the top 8 scams to watch out for!

1. Social media scams are usually very well crafted, which makes them so dangerous. They are often well branded, making you think you’re communicating with an authentic brand. Typically, they include a link that sends your personal information to third parties. For example, it can be a banner saying you won a lottery that you never entered. Please note that they are no longer limited to traditional social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. Lately, they appear on messengers like WhatsApp or Viber.
2. Uber account scams can be easily noticed when you’re getting charged for journeys you didn’t go on. That’s the only way scammers can use your money because your full card details are not visible in your Uber account. Once detected, these journeys need to be reported to Uber support and are usually refunded once confirmed.
3. Romance scams are when someone (a man or a woman) starts a relationship, growing to love and trust someone they’ve met online: on a dating site or social media. Sometimes the account can be fake, but they can also be real with a real person who’s willing to talk via video chats. Sooner or later, they usually make up some sorrowful story to get the victim to send money.
4. Copycat websites usually charge a fee to renew or process official documents, which can be done for free. Compared to the official government websites they:
5. have “http” instead of “https” at the beginning of their website address;
6. don’t have “.gov.uk” at the end of their website address;
7. can be reached from a paid search engine ad.
8. A sextortion email scam is when someone sends you an email claiming that they have a compromising picture or video of you. They usually ask for money, or else they will release this info to your friends, family, coworkers or simply post it online.
9. Old-school email scams are among the oldest cons out there, even though they evolve and become more creative every year. Sometimes the email can contain malicious software attached or a link to a website stealing your personal data, which can even be embedded in pictures.
10. Scam ads are not only limited to social media or search engine sites. Unfortunately, they can appear on any website or online resource. Usually, they tell you about some incredibly valuable offer, a discount, or something free. Clicking that ad can lead you to a fraudulent website collecting your personal data or installing a virus on your computer.
11. Subscription scams are activated when you sign up online for free or low-cost trials of services or products. After a while, you find out that you have been locked into costly repeat payments.

Source: https://www.which.co.uk/

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