When spending a lot of time online, one of the dangers you will face is some people trying to take advantage of you, So in today’s article, we are going to discuss Online scams and how to avoid them. There are many online scams these days and many of them you will be able to spot them right away.

Like the long-lost Uncle who has died and left you loads of money, or the big win you have just got from the international lottery even though you never participated or bought a lottery ticket or the fact that you have been selected to get an iPad and all you need to do is send some money for shipping.

All these are very common scams especially on social media and most people are familiar with these kinds of things and usually, they won’t take any action other than to just click the spam button.

Official Looking Email That is Very Urgent And Threatening

But there are some that are super sophisticated and it’s easy to fall for them, many of these scammers will send you an email disguised as an official email from either Google or Yahoo, or other websites that you might be doing business with. At first glance the email will look genuine it will have the logo and everything but after careful evaluation, you will notice anomalies.

If you get an Email, even if it says it’s from Google, don’t click on the link that it contains, instead go to the Google official website and depending on what department the email claimed to be from, send an email to that department, for example lets say the email claimed to be from Google Ads team, then send an email to that department and ask them about the issue that the email raised.

There is a possibility that it could be indeed genuine but it’s better to be sure than sorry, so just take precaution and contact Google or whatever website it is directly.

You should also attach the email, you received that way Google will take the necessary measures if the email is not from them. Never reply to an email directly unless you are sure it’s from where it should be from, and be very careful about links. Just remember, there is no legit website that will ask for your passwords and bank information via email.

So if you receive a threatening email claiming that serious things are about to happen to your business or your services and accounts will be closed if you don’t do ABCD, don’t reply, because a legitimate email will explain the situation without threats and urgency. Also, makes sure to read the email carefully and see the tone and the style of writing used.

Because most of the emails are usually written in poor English or they will have many errors, also the subject will probably be in all capitals to try to scare you, if you receive such an email, remain calm and read it carefully although I would actually just report it as spam and just contact the official website where it claims to come from.

If you have already opened the email, then read it, but if you haven’t, do not open it, just trash it and then contact the website by Googling the address of that website and getting the official address.

Shopping Ads

When you are working online, the chances of you buying a product online are very high, and you will probably be seeing lots of Ads unless you have installed an adblocker software. If you are planning to buy a product, I will highly recommend reading at least two reviews of that particular product before purchasing it.

I would also recommend visiting a few websites and comparing prices, that way you can get the best deal, and  while you are at it, do not accept a gift card offer that pops up on your screen, some scammers have made it their daily work to scout social media networks and collect personal information from people and then they target those people so they can get their personal or financial details and drain their bank accounts.

You Need To Contact Microsoft Support On This Number ASAP Scam

Another scam that could really scare you is the kind that pops up on your screen and tells you that your computer is infected with a dangerous virus and that you need to contact Microsoft support team on the number which will be on your screen written in red just under the word danger which will be flashing and written in all capitals.

Now you will notice that you will not be able to exit the popup and you might not even be able to do anything else on your computer, the best thing to do in that case is to turn off your computer, or if you can try to restart your computer, there is nothing to panic about, just run your antivirus software if you haven;t done so that day.

Those kinds of popups don’t happen unless you have visited a website that you don’t usually visit so don’t be afraid, if indeed you do happen to get such a popup, do not call the number on the screen or try to contact any address that is given, as I mentioned, just turn off your computer and if possible unplug it completely.

Single and working online Beware of Romance Scams

If you are single and working online, chances are you will visit one or two online dating sites, the worst thing you can do to yourself is to use your regular email address for these kinds of sites because I can guarantee you that you will not be able to get any work done.

Your mailbox will be filled up with all sorts of things from the datings sites. But the biggest thing you have to be careful about is romance scams, you will be contacted by a very attractive person and they will tell you all the things you need to hear, and the worst thing about these kinds of scams, is that it’s not a one day type of thing.

It can go on for months and the person will gain your trust and then you are in trouble, so be very careful, if you are single and working online, first of all, do not use your regular email address to sign up to a dating site, just create an email address and then join.

And of course you should never disclose your financial information to people you meet on a dating sites, there are so many people losing money to romance scams so again I say be very careful, I mean you really don’t want to work so hard online and then lose all your earned money to a romance scam.

Charity Scams

another scam that is becoming popular online is the charity scam, they will try to pull your heart strings to get you to send money and actually it’s not just about money it’s also about stealing your information, so you will get a form that you are supposed to fill and once they get your information, they will share it with their network and then you will be receiving those notifications every day.

If you want to contribute to a charity, then I suggest you find a reputable charity and you stick with it, I am not saying all the charities that are going to contact you online are fake, I am just saying there are some that are not real, and they take advantage of kind people like yourself.

Besides if you want to help someone, don’t you want to make sure that you are indeed helping someone who needs help? I say before sending your hard earned money, makes sure that it’s going to the right place.

My conclusion

Working online is fun and especially if you are running your own business, but there some things that you need to be careful of, as much as you are working hard and trying to earn an honest living online, there are others who are working just as hard to try to take your hard earned money from you.

I honestly think the people behind these kinds of things are very smart people and if they could use that knowledge to make money online legitimately, they would be very wealthy and they will sleep better at night knowing that they are making money without hurting people, there are so many people who have suffered as a result of these scams. I think the scammers should start a legitimate online business and make money online the right way. That’s my opinion.

So before you take an action that could land you in trouble, first examine the situation calmly and then decide if it’s something you want to get involved in. I think I have given you some really useful tips here. But if you have more questions, please feel free to leave them below and I will be very happy to respond.

Thank you so much for reading my article, I look forward to hearing from you.

Rose

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