Nowadays, it’s far too easy for someone to be scammed. Lots of different scams exist, particularly in the online world. In fact, did you know that one in ten adults will fall victim to scam or fraud every year? It’s frighteningly common, and the worst part is that most people aren’t taught how to protect themselves. In this article, you’ll receive expert advice to ensure you remain safe and don’t get scammed!
We’ll list some of the newer scams to appear in the world, with tips on what you can do to avoid them.
COVID-19 Scams
Believe it or not, but there are scams born out of the coronavirus pandemic. The FTC has identified a series of scams circulating through social media sites and instant messaging services. The premise is that you receive a message from a company that claims to offer free relief during this trying time. They want to give you money, but they end up taking your personal information and stealing your details.
How can you prevent a scam like this? Well, it’s relatively easy to avoid as companies are not sending out messages like this at all. They usually come from a contact, so that’s another way to identify the scam. If you’re messaged by someone you never speak to, it’s a good sign they’ve fallen victim to a scam and are now passing it on to others.
As a general rule, it’s always advised to reply to whoever sent the message asking them what it’s about. This can help you avoid so many scams like this. Often, the person won’t realize they’ve sent out this message, so you’ve alerted them to the scam. They can then get things fixed on their end to prevent others from being scammed.
Phishing Email Scams
These scams have been around for a while, but they remain very prevalent. Effectively, you’ll receive a professional-looking email that seems as though it’s from one of your contacts. Typically, it will be from your bank or a company like Microsoft or Apple. The email will seem legitimate and tell you of a problem with your account – or something similar. From here, you’re asked to provide security details or personal information to correct the issue.
These attacks are incredibly effective, with more than one-third of all security incidents starting from phishing emails. The purpose of these scams is to fish for information about you. Scammers will walk away with the password and username to your accounts, or possibly from bank details.
Avoiding these scams is, again, very simple. Always check the email sender when you get an email of any kind. It may say it’s from ‘Apple’, but when you click the name it comes up with the actual email address. This will almost always be a very obscure name, proving that it’s a scammer.
You could also buy some anti-phishing software that clamps down on these emails reaching your inbox.
Telephone Scams
With the rise in people using cellphones, telephone scams are getting more familiar. Scammers will call or text you with some sort of amazing offer. They claim to help you invest money or offer a product for you to buy. It sounds too good to be true, and it usually is.
You’ll get your money taken and receive nothing in return. To avoid this, be cautious when answering calls from numbers you don’t know. Also, you can register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry. This can help you avoid getting these scam calls altogether.
What To Do If You’ve Been Scammed
The three types of scams listed above are the biggest ones to watch out for. Of course, there are many forms of each scam within the categories. So, you’re not watching out for three scams, but hundreds!
So, what happens if one slips through the cracks and you do get scammed? Well, the best approach is to hire a private investigator to find your scammer. At Assurance Investigations, we provide private investigators to look into your situation. They will help track down your scammer and ensure you get back all that you lost.
Why is this beneficial? Usually, if you’ve been scammed, you have to deal with losing your money and work on preventing it from happening again. There’s never any closure, and the scammer is still at large. By hiring a private investigator, you get some closure on the matter and see that your scammer can’t do any harm to anyone else.
If you’re interested in hiring a private investigator to find your scammer, please don’t hesitate to contact us today to learn more.
