The prevalence of online fraud is increasing. Today as you stare at that monitor you just can’t tell who’s real and who’s a fraudster. They (the bad guys) have learned how to disguise themselves and deny thousands of people peace of mind through their antics.

However, you can protect yourself. It’s easy: get acquainted with the common online frauds. Jason Adler, the expert from Semalt, believes this will keep your confidential information, bank details, and money safe.

Always remember never to send money or divulge credit card details to anybody you neither know nor trust.

Romance scam

Dating websites have helped thousands find love. Unfortunately, a few bad elements have thrown online dating into the wrong spotlight. Be wary. Dating scam has manifested itself in legit dating sites and in those created to fleece unsuspecting people. This is what happens:

• On a fake website (which passes for a legit one), the fraudster charges you to create an account, hookup and communicate to potential lovers/partner. To avoid this, check out reviews of dating sites so that you know what’s good and what’s not.
• On a legitimate website, the fraudster creates an account. They’ll pretend to be interested in you, but in real sense, they’re up to no good. They’ll then bring in a sick relative or an emergency for which they need money: a portion of which they’d ask you to chip in. In other cases, they may endear themselves to you with gifts, then they ask for your bank details with a promise to send you money.

Contest, lottery and sweepstakes scam

This is far the most common type of email and online scam. You’ll get an email or a message in your social media account informing you that you’ve won a prize which you can claim if you pay or provide your credit card details. They’ll try hard to convince you that it is a tax obligation or something of that sort. Don’t be tricked. It’s a sham. It’s a scam. If you did not participate in any lottery, sweepstake or charity then be careful.

Spam scams

These populate your inbox. In this scam, a person may pretend to be interested in your products/ services, or it could be an organization interested in doing business with you. If they request for money to help them process a payment on their end, then you could be in for a nasty surprise. Sometimes, they request for your credit details although in this case, they’d pretend to be your bank or any legit organization you often interact with. Do not click on any links unless you’ve called the bank to confirm the same. In addition to this you may come across the overpayment scam in which a client claims to have overpaid for a service. They’d be requesting for a refund from you.

Employment scam

A good example would be the “work from home” example which promises thousands of dollars for little work. In other cases, you are guaranteed a good job with handsome remuneration. There’s a catch though. You must pay a fee to secure the job. Don’t lose your money in such a scam.

Buy/sell auction scam

With people switching to online shopping and bidding, there has emerged a scam: the buy/sell auction scam. When you bid for a product and fail to win the bid you go about your business. Then you get a call from someone claiming the winning bidder backed off, and now you have won the bid. What do they want? To do business outside the platform (website). Don’t dare do this. You’ll be swindled of your money, and you won’t get the price (whatever you were bidding for).

 

Breeder scam

In this online scammer, a dog breeder showcases his/her puppies which he/she is selling. They send the registration documents and lots of pictures. To finalize the deal, you’re asked to pay the shipping fee which will then be refunded. In the end, you’ll pay money, and you won’t get any puppy. Their line also goes unanswered.