The Internet has become a key subject of discussion for many of us. While there are incredible advantages associated with the same, there are also a few caveats that come with using the Internet. We are essentially talking about internet scams and frauds. This has become a major problem in the last few years as we daily see new entrants in the online space. These are naive users who fall prey to scams and frauds easily. You must have heard about the lottery scam that tells users to deposit money to a bank account to get the lottery prize. This is a classic example of how people get trapped in an easily identifiable internet scam. Since these are new users, they don’t have the right tools and resources to navigate in the online space.
You are way ahead of these users as you have landed on this page. We would urge you to share the information presented in this post with users who you think can become victims of such scams. This will give them a clear direction on identifying red flags that can potentially harm them by taking their hard-earned money. Faisal Abidi, who is the co-founder of RNF Technologies has seen hundreds, if not thousands of such cases in his entire career. Being an established name in the digital marketing space, he is the right person to guide you through the process. Here, he and his company share their two cents on how to prevent online scams and navigate through the online space safely.
As mentioned earlier, the number of users falling into scam traps is rising exponentially, and nothing much can be done about the same if the users themselves do not take the right measures. There is a lack of education and no proper guidance on to use the Internet as a whole.
To begin with, proper education is a must when you are exploring the Internet and internet-based services and products. To make sure you don’t become a victim of identity theft (the practice in which a disguise is used to obtain personal information), you must be aware of the latest techniques and methods scammers use to catch prey. These cyber-criminals are constantly evolving and altering techniques as soon as they see users are catching up with the older tricks. These online criminals exploit the cyber-security loopholes that prevail. One essential thing to do here is to stay vigilant about such malpractices. For that, you should sign up for cyber-security newsletters and blog posts. There are paid and free subscriptions, but to start, free services should suffice. With time and becoming a more advanced internet user, you might opt for paid services.
In addition to that, securing all your devices that are connected to the Internet is critical to the prevention of identity theft. Use only reliable devices and gadgets that don’t store data about you on the company servers. All the stored information may get leaked (sometimes intentional) to the dark web and your personal information may be compromised. While you are using a device know what kind of access you have given to the device and take full control of that. All of these might seem a little overwhelming in the beginning but with time and practice, you should be able to navigate through the processes fairly easily. That said, password protection is critical while using a device. And do not keep the same password for all the login credentials. This is a recipe for disaster wherein you are just one password away to lose your online security in the hands of online exploiters.
Furthermore, you need to avoid phishing scams at all costs. RNF Technologies tells that these scams have become a daily affair for many as their email id is shared in multiple places. Many dark web operators even buy this information to pose as disguise and scam people. You must double-check every single mail or web page that you are going to access. Clicking on a few specific buttons and areas, malicious applications or viruses may enter your device, thus making you a potential scam or fraud victim. Clicking on links and attachments that are suspicious or too good to be true must be avoided at all costs. If you have doubts, it is always a good practice to reset the email password and unsubscribe from unknown mail addresses.
Few other ways to prevent online scams include using a credible payment gateway for online purchases, securely storing credit/debit card details on the smartphone, using two-step authentication for logins, and always remaining skeptical if a stranger is trying to contact you through numerous online platforms.
Faisal Abidi tells that if you can keep all these points in mind when navigating the online realm, you will have peace of mind, not unnecessarily worrying about any scam or fraud attacks.
