Every time we go through tough times, internet scammers crawl out of the woodwork to try to take advantage of us. They depend on desperation or our being emotional to try to con us out of our money or personal information.
Whether it’s a global pandemic, political meltdown or financial difficulties, scammers go into overtime to come up with a range of different scams that try to part us from our money.
The most important thing I want you to take away from this post is that you don’t need to be afraid of scams.
You just need to be aware of them.
You can avoid the vast majority of internet scams by using a couple of simple behaviour changes.
I’m going to discuss those changes with you in a little while.
Types of common internet scams
There are lots of different types of internet scams, but there are a few that are more common than others.
They can arrive by email, appear on websites or be shared via social media or chat apps.
Here are just a few:
Online credit reports
Emails offering access to free credit reports are incredibly common. They will advertise free credit reports and request your name, address, date of birth and perhaps your National Insurance (social security) number.
They will be a scam.
Ignore any email or message offering a free credit report. If you want one, contact the credit reference agencies direct.
That’s Experian and TransUnion in the UK.
Relative in need
Another common scam is the relative in need. This scam has seen a huge resurgence in 2022 thanks to the financial situation. You may see a message on WhatsApp or other message app purporting to be from a family member.
They will tell you they lost their phone and have had to buy a new one, which is why you don’t recognise the number. They will then ask you to send them £500-900 to pay for the phone.
This is a scam. It may seem obvious, but these messages play on emotion and can be cleverly worded so you’re really not sure.
If you receive one of these messages, delete it immediately. If you’re unsure, contact the family member through other means (not their phone) to verify.
Online dating
Online dating scams prey on those looking for love. Dating scams are incredibly popular and happen all the time.
The scams can come in many forms, including gaining your trust and seeking money for a plane or train ticket to come visit, asking for a small loan to help them out of a temporary situation or something else.
They can also ask for private information such as your date of birth, full address and perhaps even photos.
All can be used against you in one form or another.
Be aware, but not afraid of internet dating.
Not everyone is a scammer but it’s best to assume everyone is until they prove otherwise.
Your computer is infected scam
You’ll often see these if you use social media or the internet. You’ll see a message on the screen telling you that your computer is infected or you’ll see a question asking you if you have malware as the person has been receiving strange messages from you.
The scam will then ask you to log onto a website that can fix it, download a program that will address it or call Microsoft on a specific number who can help you.
They are all scams.
If you use Windows, run Windows Defender in the background (it works automatically) and perhaps use a malware scanner like Malwarebytes (there’s a free version that’s very good).
Donate to (insert good cause here) scams
These are always around in one form or another but particularly during tough times.
We saw them during the pandemic, during the Ukraine war and will continue to see them in the future no doubt.
They will look and feel legitimate and will use official words, logos, images and perhaps even direct you to a legitimate-looking website.
Trouble is, few of these good cause messages are legitimate. But it’s tough to decide which is which.
The best thing to do is to ignore all those types of messages.
If you want to give to a good cause (and you should if you can afford it), seek them out yourself and only donate once you’re sure it’s a legitimate operation.
Fake invoice or delivery scams
Fake invoice or delivery scams are also commonplace. They use copies of legitimate brand logos and emails and will look identical to a real version.
A fake email like this will often include an infected attachment that can install malware on your computer or a link to a website requiring you to set up an account using your personal details.
Some will look like they are from HMRC requiring a small payment to allow a package through customs. Others will pretend to be from UPS, DHL or other courier and request a payment to complete delivery.
Others still request you call a specific phone number as the deliver address was lost or something similar.
The best thing to do with these emails is delete them.
If you’re not expecting a parcel, there’s no reason a company will contact regarding one.
If you’re not expecting anything from abroad, customs and excise won’t contact you about a package.
If you are expecting a delivery, follow up direct with the store or courier using separate means.
How to spot fake emails or internet scams
There are some key giveaways that can show you an email is a fake or a message isn’t who you think it’s from.
Here are a few things to look for:
Spelling and grammar
Most companies employ professional copywriters and editors to write emails, letters and anything the public sees. If you see an obvious spelling error or US-spelling rather than UK, be on alert.
The same for odd wording, clumsy phrases and things that just don’t sound right.
If in doubt, throw it out.
Poor quality logos or branding
Some scams use 100% quality images and fake web pages that look identical to the real thing. Fortunately, most don’t.
Look at the quality of the graphics, layout, web page or other content in the email or message.
If it looks a little amateur to be a large company, it’s probably fake.
If in doubt, contact them direct from their website to make sure.
Links within pages or emails
Does the email sender have a legit email address. If you hover over a link within an email or a web page (don’t click it, just hover!!), does it go to where it says it does?
Most legitimate senders will use a clear email address – person@business.co.uk/department.
If the email address is nonsense or doesn’t match the company, delete it. The same for any links within the email.
Fake dating profiles
Fake dating profiles are harder to spot but not impossible. Look for generic descriptions, lack of detail in profiles and anything that looks ‘off’.
You can also download their profile image by right clicking it on the web and selecting ‘Save as’.
Then use TinEye or Google Image Search. Upload the image to see where else it appears.
Quite often, fake dating profiles will use a single image across multiple accounts. They will usually be taken from real profiles, so if you see the same image in multiple places pretending to be multiple people, you’re talking with a scammer (catfish).
How to avoid the vast majority of internet scams
We said at the top that you can avoid the vast majority of internet scams using simple techniques.
Those techniques are:
Ignore any messages you’re not sure of
Delete all emails or messages from people you have never heard of or companies you have never done business with.
If a company really needs to get in touch, they will call or write. If in doubt, still delete everything and contact them direct using the customer service phone number you find on their website.
Do not use any phone numbers enclosed within the email or message.
Don’t give out personal information
Banks, HMRC, government agencies and most other companies won’t ask for personal details except within official forms and usually when you contact them not the other way round.
There are times when you will need to add a date of birth to an order, for example if ordering alcohol online or something. That’s legit and not something to worry about.
If a company really needs to get in touch, they will call or write. Again, follow up separately using the phone number on their website.
I often recommend adding or subtracting a day from your date of birth, just in case. This isn’t officially sanctioned, but I do it all the time.
For example, if your date of birth is 13 March 1981, use 14th March 1981 online when asked.
Don’t do this when your date of birth forms part of a contract, like car insurance, tax return or something official.
But if you need to age verify a forum or website access, this is a good method to use.
Don’t give away your money
There are many legitimate good causes that would genuinely appreciate a donation. But there are also less legitimate causes that want one too.
Don’t respond to requests for money from anyone you don’t recognise.
If you want to give to good causes, you should definitely do it. Find your own good cause, make sure they are legitimate and give as much as you can afford.
The same for family members. If you want to give, be generous, but do it in person or only once you have verified their bank or PayPal.
Be wary of online dating
There is a certain amount of sharing you have to do when dating, but make sure to keep certain details to yourself.
Use the date of birth trick above when asked to help prevent identity theft. Don’t share your real address until you’re sure of the person you’re dealing with and don’t overshare identifiable information.
Be careful with sharing images too. Be careful what they show, in all contexts of that.
Don’t show your house number, car registration, workplace name or other identifiable information.
Also, don’t share images you wouldn’t want your parents seeing until you’re sure of the audience!
Avoiding online scams
Hopefully, this post has given you plenty of food for thought. I hope it has shown you what to look for, how to recognise an internet scam and what to do about it.
If you’re ever in doubt, delete. If the person or company trying to get in touch is legit, they will try again.
Never, ever respond. All you’re doing is proving the email address or phone number is real and has a person on the other end.
That never ends well!
