There are lot of people who are trying to earn money by scamming. They take advantage of people who dont have enough knowledge.You should be suspicious of unexpected calls or text messages and hang up or text STOP to unwanted messages. Be careful who you give your phone number to.
These are the common types of scam. 1.Advance fee fraud-A scammer requests fees upfront or personal information in return for goods, services, money or rewards that they never supply.Scammers invent convincing and seemingly genuine reasons for requesting payment, such as to cover fees or taxes.
2. Lottery, sweepstakes and competition scams-An email, letter or text message from an overseas lottery or sweepstakes company arrives from out of nowhere.It says you have won a lot of money or fantastic prizes in a lottery or sweepstakes competition you did not enter.These scams try to trick you into giving money upfront or your personal details in order to receive the prize. Scammers typically claim that you need to pay fees or taxes before your winnings or prize can be released. You may also have to call or text a premium rate phone number to claim your prize. Remember you cannot win a prize if you haven’t entered.
3. Dating and romance scams-Scammers create fake profiles on legitimate dating websites. They use these profiles to try to enter into a relationship with you so they can get a hold of your money and personal details.
4. Computer hacking-Phishing emails are commonly used by scammers to trick you into giving them access to your computer. They ‘fish’ for your personal details by encouraging you to click on a link or attachment. If you click, malicious software will be installed and the hacker will have access to files and information stored on your computer.
A phishing email often appears to come from an organisation that you know and trust, like a bank or financial institution, asking you to enter your account password on a fake copy of the site’s login page.
5. Online shopping, classified and auction scams-Scammers like shopping online for victims. Not getting what you paid for is a common scam targeting online shoppers. A scammer will sell a product and send a faulty or inferior quality item, or nothing at all. They may also pretend to sell a product just to gather your credit card or bank account details.
6. Banking, credit card and online account scams-Scammers send emails or text messages that appear to be from your bank, a financial institution or an online payment service. They usually claim that there is a problem with your account and request that you verify your details on a fake but convincing copy of the bank’s website.
7. Small business scams-If you own a small business you can be targeted by scams such as the issuing of fake bills for unwanted or unauthorised listings, advertisements, products or services. Scammers trick you to sign up by disguising the offer as an outstanding invoice or a free entry, but with a hidden subscription agreement in the fine print.
8. Job and employment scams- These scams involve offers to work from home or set up and invest in a business opportunity. Scammers promise a job, high salary or large investment return following initial upfront payments.These payments may be for a business plan, training course, software, uniforms, security clearance, taxes or fees.
9. Golden opportunity and gambling scams-Scams often begin with an unexpected phone call or email from a scammer offering a not-to-be-missed high return or guaranteed investment in shares, real estate, options or foreign currency trading. Scammers promise you huge returns based on past results and trends. In order to participate, you may be asked to pay for membership fees, special calculators, newsletter subscriptions or computer software programs.
10. Charity and medical scams-Scammers are unscrupulous and take advantage of people who want to donate to a good cause or find an answer to a health problem.
You should protect yourself from scam, protect your money,your identity, your computer and especially your family.