The internet has become a haven for online scams that have robbed people of their personal information, and in the end, their integrity and money. Get-rich-quick scams are often the instigators of online scams, but they are not alone. To get through the nitty-gritty of how online safety works, you have to first understand the basics of recognizing an online scam.
“XXX is celebrating its 25 th anniversary and we are giving away free prizes. Congratulations, you have just won yourself an iPhone! Click on this link to claim your reward within the next 24 hours, else it will be passed on to somebody else. Hurry to claim your prize!”
The above is just one of many scams perpetuating the internet, leaving people in the dark about the kinds of sites they should visit. Lots of us are unaware of how to perform a domain check. So before you click on that website, here are a few tips to help you recognize the next online scam that may come your way.
One way to get suspicious of a scam is the domain quality of the website. Whenever your personal information is being demanded on a site that is unfamiliar and declared unsafe for browsing by your browser. Giving out info like your date of birth, address or Social Security number can lead to you getting impersonated or having your online accounts hacked in these online scams. You don’t want to see your credit cards getting maxed out or a loan being obtained in your name.
Now, you have clicked on the website hoping to get clearer information about a product or claim your prize. Next, you are being requested to make an upfront payment. That’s evident of an online scam and can come in many forms. Once you do as such website demands, you could end up losing your money in total. Never make the mistake of submitting your credit card details on such websites, and always check to see if you are in a safe browsing mode.
During holidays, you get sent greeting cards from loved ones. Clicking on greeting cards from unfamiliar emails can get your operating system contaminated by dangerous malware that could end up distorting your device’s performance. What’s worse, your system could end up communicating your personal data to these IT scammers. Never click on emails from sources you don’t trust, and always run a virus check on your devices just in case.
Everyone wants to get rich without going through any stress, and online scammers are quick to prey on that very desire of ours. Lottery scams come with a high tone of urgency, making you think that you are about to miss out on something big. There is also the mind-blowing low interest bank loan, the too-good-to-be-true credit card. Never fall for these online scam gimmicks.
To trust a site, perform online safety checks such as domain check, domain quality, safe browsing mode, and virus check – all of which are available on Safe Domain. That way, you would be able to recognize the next online scam spots on.