Online Scams and How to Avoid Them

Online scams have became rampant with average victims being scammed have been increasing tremendously raising concerns over how secure is our internet. Before falling prey to good-to-be-true offers, kindly observe these symptoms to quickly identify and stopping yourself from being a victim.

Don’t let your hard earned go wasted

It’s a Free Trial Offer! – Read carefully, a free trial which you “trial” initially might end up having you to pay for a much larger amount of subscription monthly! Such term is normally buried in fine print, often in a colour that washes into the background. So read the fine print and know what you are getting into before clicking on the “Accept” button!

The Fake Free Hotspot – This is getting more and more popular as fake Wi-Fi hot spots are cropping up everywhere, and it can be difficult to tell them from the real thing. Once you have connected to it, the crook is mining your computer for banking, credit card, and other password information. To avoid from connecting to this fake network, make sure you are not set up to automatically connect to non-preferred networks. (For PCs, go to Network Connections and uncheck “Connect to non-preferred networks” in advanced wireless settings; for Macs, go to the Network pane in System Preferences and check “Ask to join new networks.”) In most business establishments, the shop keeper will be able to advise you which hotspot service that they offer for patrons to use and it is normally locked with password. Get it from them. If you think that the speeds of shared Wi-Fi network are too slow then it is always a good idea to subscribe to a broadband service of your choice.

The “FREE Tablet/Smart Phone” – REALLY FREE? You saw an update in your Facebook Timeline, raving about a contest for a free iPad or some other expensive prize: “Just click on the link to learn more.” By you clicking the link, it will download a “bot” (software robot”, adding your computer to a botnet of “zombies” that scammers use to send spammed e-mail. To avoid this, simply know the author or person who posted the status. If it is an advertisement, know the advertiser before clicking on the link.

Your Computer is Infected! A window pops up about a legitimate-sounding antivirus software program alerting you that your machine has been infected with dangerous virus. You’re prompted to click on a link that will run a scan. Of course, the virus is found – and for a fee! Once you have clicked on the link, the company installs malware on your computer. No surprise, there will be no cleanup. But the thieves have your credit card number, you’re out the money, and your computer is left on life support. To avoid such incident from happening, close the window of the pop up notification without clicking on any link. Then run a full system scan using legitimate, updated antivirus software like Avast.

Love for Sale – Perhaps is the cruelest con ever but it has been happening in Malaysia so often yet many lonely and desperate for love people just can’t help but falling into it! This normally begins with you meeting someone on a dating site, on Facebook, in a chat room, or while playing a virtual game. Then the picture exchange took place, later follow by talking on the phone. It soon becomes obvious that you were meant for each other. But the love of your life lives in a foreign country and needs money for whatever reason. You then send the money, may be more than one time but only left to realize that there is no happily-ever-after. You will lose your money and possibly your faith in mankind. In this instance, all we can advise you is to be smart and rational (although love can be irrational at times). Dating and social-networking sites can be a great way to meet new friends, even from foreign countries. But if someone you know only from the Web asks for money, sign off quickly.
So stay alert, stay smart and most importantly, stay paranoid to a certain degree. Whatever it takes to make you a smart internet user, practice it and you can stay away from losing your valuable resources.