5 Great Ways to Prevent Online Scams and Fraud

DIY ways to prevent online scams and fraud

Swindlers may be looking for just one chance to fleece you! Online scams and frauds by international scam artists are a great threat to the financial security of millions of people and a source for generating considerable profits for criminal organizations across the globe.

Varied means including phone, internet, emails, and postal mail are used to trick victims to give out personal information or transact money.

The concern of identity theft is gaining momentum and thus, a good number of law enforcement agencies are striving hard to stop scammers and spread awareness amongst consumers.

The fastest-growing cons include “Your computer contains a virus” (and we can help), you have won a gift certificate, a lottery claim call, a money scam through dating sites, a tweet for winning expensive gifts on Twitter content, and many more. Sounds very familiar, right?

Check out 5 DIY ways to confound these fast-growing cons:

Know who you are actually dealing with

If you get any alluring offer through the mail, try and go deep into the verification process. Make an effort and find the sender’s complete physical address and phone number. There are web-based technologies and internet phone services at hand today that might make this task difficult for you.

A great way out is searching for the company’s name and website online and plotting some past customer experiences and reviews. In case of no information available or negative reviews, you know what to be done!

Securing your credit

How? Well, before you go on a holiday, you must call your bank or credit card company to notify your absence. This could be a protective measure against any financial threat that could knock on your door at any time. You can do this online also if you are using net banking or making your payments online.

Notifications from credit card companies will help you take control of the situation well in time. You can also rely on some good free identity theft protection companies or software like Credit Sesame.

However, identity theft protection companies only send alerts or reports about the threat and actually don’t protect you against it. For complete security, you must opt for a credit freeze, which is free and much more reliable.

Never ever wire money to people who are unknown

Wiring money is like sending cash, once the money is wired you can’t get it back and that is why scammers love it. Con artists frequently insist that victims wire funds, especially in a foreign country, because it’s practically impossible to overturn the transaction.

As a rule of thumb, do not wire money to sellers or people who are unknown or particularly insist you wire funds. One popular fraud gimmick is claiming to be a relative in an emergency. So, beware!

Read carefully before you click on “I agree”

Generally, some awesome offers of free trials of some weight loss program or membership appeal to many. It says that all you have to pay is the shipping charges of the kit and you end up paying forever with a click. This is another example of a shrewd effort by a con artist, who very well knows that most people do not read all the fine prints before clicking on, the “I agree” button.

So, next time you get stuck in a similar situation do read the fine print and don’t believe all testimonials. If that woman with a great smile show up everywhere promoting different products, you can be ascertained that her reviews are fake.

Thoroughly check your monthly statements

Con artists steal your personal information and then misuse it to commit crimes in your name or run up charges. Some fraud or dishonest merchants might bill you for monthly membership fees or other products or services without consent.

Carefully check your monthly bills and credit statements every month and if you see charges you don’t recognize, contact your bank, card issuer, or the concerned authority immediately. Here you can find more information on how to prevent online scams.

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