5 Internet Scams You Need to Avoid

From your phone browser to your email inbox, you can’t go anywhere online without scams being there to try to snare you. They’re everywhere. That’s why we wanted to share these current five scams so you can be more aware of your online surroundings. Avoid being tempted by these scamps. Read below to see how they go about trying to make you become their next victim.

Social Security Email Scam

Currently, there is a scam going on that will email you from the “Social Security Administration”. They will offer you information about new (SSA) features and will mention other official-sounding terminology. The goal of this email is to get you to click the link. This and other Phishing emails like it often do sound very official, but the likelihood of them being real is slim. Do your research before clicking any links or downloading any attachments. And it’s never a good idea to share private information like credit card or social security numbers via email. 

Fraudulent Charities

Fraudulent charities sending fake emails and pleas for help are on the upswing. These will often come to individual accounts and even company accounts asking for financial help for people in need or for a specific cause. Do yourself a favor before clicking through and offering money. Even if it looks legit, it may need a double-take to realize your money won’t ever go to anything useful. If you want to make a donation search for local charities in your area and give them all call before sending money.

Free Credit Reports 

Free credit reports can be appealing and interesting, but take note. Many of these offers and emails are illegitimate. In 2016, there has been an uptick in convincing emails and website ads that share with you that they will offer a free report. Please note that there are only 3 nationwide reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union). If you are seeing other names they are likely not real and will be asking for personal information.

Valentine’s Day Scams

Though we are posting this a few days after the big day, the scams are still real and reeling people in. Often, scammers will pick up on orders that you made to send flowers to your Valentine. They will say, “order not complete” or “order arrived at wrong location”. Then they will ask for your information in order to confirm and potentially even request credit card information to re-send. When you see these, check back with the tracking code that should’ve been provided by the company, and most certainly don’t put any identifying information in without calling first.

Wire Transfer Scam

This is not unknown and has been common for awhile now, but it has been used recently because of hackers’ access to personal information. Hackers will access information and find those you care for or contact often and send you a fake wire transfer request that asks for immediate money due to an emergency. Though this may seem obvious, people are being duped by this daily. First things first, call the person in need and check-in. You’ll quickly find out if the scare is real or not. This scam is especially to be avoided if it’s a Nigerian Prince you’re being asked to help.

We hope this list has been helpful for you and has provided insight into how you can avoid being scammed. We always want to be advancing your technology knowledge whether broadly or more specifically to the job site. Learn more about us and how technology can help you manage your projects better in the cloud by scheduling a demo of our software. Click here to setup a time.