Data Structure
Networking
RDBMS
Operating System
Java
MS Excel
iOS
HTML
CSS
Android
Python
C Programming
C++
C#
MongoDB
MySQL
Javascript
PHP
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Mathematics
English
Economics
Psychology
Social Studies
Fashion Studies
Legal Studies
- Selected Reading
- UPSC IAS Exams Notes
- Developer's Best Practices
- Questions and Answers
- Effective Resume Writing
- HR Interview Questions
- Computer Glossary
- Who is Who
What are some common forms of scamming?
Online scamming is one of the top ways used by cybercriminals to conduct various illicit activities like stealing sensitive information, implanting malware in the system, identity theft, and much more.
In this post, we would know about the top ways of Scamming used by cyber attackers to lure people.
Phishing Emails
Phishing is the most used scamming method of all time. In fact, Phishing is responsible for onethird of the total scams conducted. In Phishing, the users are allure by sending emails of fake offers and gifts. They are asked to click on the malicious links or provided private information like address, bank details, and more. In greed of getting the fake offers, many users provide all the asked information and get trapped in the net of scammers. Other than promising fake offers, Phishing is also implemented by scaring the users. Users are made scared by sending them fake emails pretending from the bank telling them that their bank account is compromised and they require all their details to save it. Users, in fear of losing their account and money, provide all the required information.
Telephone Scams
Telephone scam is one of the oldest and still widely used scamming methods. In this, the scammer would pretend to be someone genuine like tech support, bank employee, product seller, or something similar. The caller would usually offer fake promises and lure the victim in providing delicate information such as bank details, social security numbers, and more. The fake offers might be anything like a free product, bogus investment opportunities, a free subscription of paid software, and more. The criminals might offer you money through fake lotteries. Many times the scammers might scare you instead of offers.
The Nigerian Scam
Almost every internet user with an email ID might have encountered the Nigerian scam in their inbox. In the Nigerian email scam, the sender pretending to be from a super-rich Nigerian family would ask you to provide your bank details so that they could send a hefty amount to your bank account. They would ask you to keep the amount in your account for a few days and, in return, would offer you 20% or more of the total amount. Before transferring the amount to your account, they would ask you to send some money as a fee for legal matters and transaction charges.
Census Scam
The Census scam mainly happens during the time of the census. In it, the person pretending to be the official from the Census Board will ask for your personal details like name, family members name, occupation, family income, and more. Such information can help cybercriminals to conduct a Phishing scam and other illicit activities.
Holiday Trip Scam
In the holiday ticket scam, the scammers try to lure the users by sending an email containing the fake offer of a holiday trip, usually to a popular foreign destination. The scammers would ask the email recipient a small amount of money as a charge for sending tickets and for other official formalities.
How to stay protected from such Scams?
Although cybercriminals craft the scams pretty cleverly, you can still spot them and protect yourself from them. Here are the preventive steps −
If the mail pretending from an official source contains spelling and grammatical mistakes, it might be from Phishers. Similarly, if any official is asking for personal details, he/she is most probably a scammer.
Never click on the email links sent from unknown, untrustworthy senders.
It is advised to never share your confidential information with anyone through emails or phone calls. No bank or organization asks for such details on calls or emails.
Use the spam filters on your email. Most service providers like Gmail, Yahoo come with in-built spam filters.
Equip your system with a robust security solution that can provide you web protection and block spam emails and websites.
102 Views
To Continue Learning Please Login