Online Scams
How to Avoid Online Scams
What Are Internet Scams?
Internet scams are different methodologies of Fraud, facilitated by cybercriminals on the Internet. Scams can happen in a myriad of ways- via phishing emails, social media, SMS messages on your mobile phone, fake tech support phone calls, scareware and more. The main purpose of these types of scams can range from credit card theft, capturing user login and password credentials and even identity theft.
Most Common Types of Online Scams
Phishing
The top online scam today is Phishing. Internet thieves prey on unsuspecting users by sending out phishing emails. In these emails, a cybercriminal tries to trick you into believing you are logging into a trusted website that you normally do business with. This could be a bank, your social media account, an online shopping website, shipping companies, cloud storage companies and more.
Another type of popular phishing scam is the Nigerian Prince, or 419 scam. These are phishing emails in which you’re asked to help bring large sums of money into the country, cash phony money orders or wire money to the thief. The trick is that the scammer first asks you for a small fee because the larger sum of money is “tied up” whether it be in wire transfer fees, processing fees or some other tall tale.
Fake AV
One close to our industry is fake security software, which is also known as scareware. These start with a pop up warning saying that you have a virus. Then the popup leads the user to believe that if they click on the link, the infection will get cleaned up.Cybercriminals use the promise of “Free Anti-Virus” to instead implant malware on a victim’s device.
Social Media Scams
Social media scams are a variety of posts you will see in your news feeds- all with the goal of getting you to click on a link that could potentially be hosting malware.
Mobile Scams
Mobile scams can come in many forms, but the most common are phishing apps. These apps are designed to look like the real thing, just like phishing emails. It is exactly the same premise, however, instead of emails, the malware is passed through a fake app.
Social Engineering Scams
Social engineering is a way that cybercriminals use human-to-human interaction in order to get the user to divulge sensitive information. Since social engineering is based on human nature and emotional reactions, there are many ways that attackers can try to trick you- online and offline.
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Event scams: 5 things to avoid as big events come back
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Home title theft: An overview plus protection tips
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Job-posting scams and how to avoid them
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Romance scams in 2021: What you need to know plus online dating scam statistics
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What is vishing? Tips for spotting and avoiding voice scams
Vishing, a combination of "voice" and "phishing," is a phone scam designed to get you to share personal information
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How to recognize and avoid tech support scams
Tech support scammers use social engineering and fear tactics to get victims to take the bait. There are three main ways this scam is executed: cold calls, pop-up messages, and incorrect search engine results.
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What is pharming and how to protect yourself
Pharming is a form of online fraud involving malicious code and fraudulent websites.
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Top 5 social media scams
Social media sites like twitter and facebook have a dark side. Phishing requests are a common ploy by cybercriminals. Beware of blindly clicking on shortened URLs. Check your antivirus and anti-spyware protection.
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Phishing email examples to help you identify phishing scams
Learn how to identify phishing email scams. Here’s what they look like and how to spot a fake.
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Internet scams: What they are and how to avoid them
Cybercriminals can use the internet as a tool to rip off unsuspecting victims. The number of complaints of internet crimes jumped 17 percent from 2017 to 2018. Here are 11 of the more common types of internet scams.
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What to do if you fall for an email scam
Email scams can steal sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, account data, addresses, and more. Phishing emails are crafted to appear legitimate, such as messages from your bank or another trusted source. They request personal information, which criminals then use for identity theft.
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Venmo scams: How to protect yourself
Venmo can be a convenient way to pay friends and family members. But beware of Venmo scams.
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Unemployment scams and COVID-19: How to identify scams and help protect against them
Newly idled Americans have filed millions of unemployment claims during the COVID-19 outbreak. Scammers are pretending to represent government entities. Their goals include stealing claimant’s benefits, money, and personal information to commit crimes such as identity theft and other frauds.
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COVID-19 stimulus check scams: Frauds target consumers and small businesses
Beware of scams related to COVID-19 stimulus checks the government is sending to Americans. Another target? Small businesses.
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7 things a COVID-19 contact tracer will never ask you for
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5 COVID-19 vaccine scams and how to avoid them
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Risky business: March Madness at work
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5 tips to protect yourself from online travel booking scams
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Protecting yourself from online shopping scams
Constant connectivity to the Internet has improved our lives by leaps and bounds. From booking dinner reservations and buying movie tickets to keeping in touch with long-distance friends and finding the perfect gifts, the web offers a wealth of information.
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Teach your kids to avoid online scams
Surfing the Internet means possible exposure to online scams. Learn the basics to teach your kids to avoid scams online.
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How to share safely on social media
Giving out too much information on social media could end up putting your privacy and identity at risk. Learn these 5 tips so you can practice safer online sharing.
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Top 5 cybercrimes in the U.S., from the Norton Cyber Security Insights Report
The Norton Cyber Security Insights Report announces the top 5 cybercrimes in America
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Avoiding ransomware scams on social media
Ransomware is a form of malware that allows cybercriminals to hold your PC, or files on it, for ransom. This is typically much worse than your average spyware or spam, as the crooks behind the ransomware can ask for a great deal of money.
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Cyber Monday: 7 tips for safer online shopping
Cyber Monday: 7 tips for safer online shopping
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Celebrate senior citizens by helping to protect them with tips from Norton LifeLock
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6 Black Friday scams and how to avoid them this holiday season
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Want a puppy to keep you company during COVID-19? Avoid puppy scams and puppy mills
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What is typosquatting? How misspelling that domain name can cost you
Scammers sometimes use typosquatting to trick you into giving up personal information or visiting malware-infested websites. Here’s how it works.
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What is scareware? And how to spot online scareware scams
Scareware is a scam in which cybercriminals attempt to gain access to your credit card information. Scammers want you to buy their fake product so you're more likely to buy it. Scare-ware pop-ups are hard to close, and some are difficult to close. If you can't close your browser, do a hard shutdown of your computer.
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How to help protect against 5 types of phishing scams
Scammers often use fear tactics in order to get their victims to take the bait. Phishers are tech-savvy con artists and identity thieves. They use spam, malicious websites, email messages, and instant messages to trick people into divulging sensitive information. Banking information, credit card accounts, usernames, and passwords are just some of the information they seek to exploit.
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Coronavirus phishing emails: How to protect against COVID-19 scams
Scammers are using phishing emails to profit from the coronavirus outbreak. Learn how to help avoid getting scammed.
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What is phishing? How to recognize and avoid phishing scams
Phishing scammers want your personal information. Learn how to help protect yourself against phishing scams
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What to do if you fall for an email scam
Learn the risks and consequences of falling for an email scam. Find out how to help protect yourself.
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Government checks and the coronavirus: Watch out for scams
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After coronavirus lockdowns: 5 tips to help boost your cyber safety
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Don't fall for online employment and job scams
Online job scams are a way for scammers to gain access to either your money or your bank account or credit cards.
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Video games and COVID-19: How to avoid scams as more people play online
People are spending more time playing online video games due to lockdowns and the coronavirus. Watch out for these scams.
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COVID-19 charity scams: 9 tips to help avoid fakes
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DocuSign phishing emails: 4 signs of an attack, and how to protect yourself
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Social media scams based on current events
We are sure youve seen them lurking in your news feeds- breaking news reporting a celebritys death, photos of natural disasters striking major cities, video footage of riots and outrage over an...
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The best ways to book online travel reservations more securely
Booking travel reservations online is easy, but not always safe. Phony travel websites might be trying to scam you, so learn how to book online more securely by following these tips.
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Social engineering scams on social media
Nobody likes being manipulated—and that’s exactly what happens to people when they fall victim to social engineering scams online. In addition to using more sophisticated malware, ransomware, and viruses, online criminals have become increasingly aware of the use and power psychology plays in weaving believable online fiction.
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Sneaky spammer tactics and how to avoid them
Spam is a problem on the Internet, coming at us from just about every angle of the online space. Some spammers develop sophisticated, well-planned strategies, while others can be sloppy and still...
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Is that website you are on safe?
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Cybersecurity tips for small businesses
When you own a small business, it's crucial invest in the best internet security software for your business as well as educate your employees
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What to do if you fall victim to an Equifax-related scam
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Emerging Threats
Malware threatens new technologies and devices every day. Stay educated on most up-to-date ways to protect yourself.