Are you acquainted with the term ‘Scam’? If not, then first of all let us come into terms with it. To quote the Webster’s Online Dictionary, a ‘Scam’ may be defined as ‘a fraudulent business scheme’. It is a criminal act or plot, which is formulated in order to steal, money or property, from a possible victim. A Scam may fall under the wider category of its synonymous word, ‘fraud’. Similarly, an ‘Online Scam’ may refer to a fraudulent business which is carried out over the internet.
Top 4 Online Scams
Online Scams have made their foothold in almost every sphere of the internet. In this section, we discuss the top four online scams.
The Nigerian 419 Scam – It is probably the most dangerous and most popular scam of all. In general, it is carried out through emails, which consist of letters promising highly lucrative awards, for helping officials of that government or bank. This way they manage to get the victims’ bank account details.
The Foreign Lottery Scam – This particular scam too operates via emails. They send emails to users, stating that the latter have won a lump sum amount in a lottery contest, conducted by the former. They ask for the users’ names, contact addresses, and email addresses.
Work from Home Scam – This is a scam which posts advertisements, offering part time home based jobs for computer users. The job involves registering with a certain amount of money, in their website, and getting paid for viewing Ads, referring to friends, taking surveys, writing articles, and so on.
Online Tech Support Scam – There are several tech support companies these days, who offer PC support via remote desktop technology. The concept of remote support is relatively new and most users not aware of what it is all about. Thus, the fraud tech support companies take undue advantage of their ignorance, and steal personal information from their computers. However, there are a few genuine tech support companies in the market, on which you can rely upon, like iYogi, Ask PC Experts, Geek Squad, Qresolve, Online PC Care, Computer Support, and so on.
How to deal with these Scams?
In order to deal with these scams, you may follow these simple guidelines –
i) Firstly, do not entertain any lucrative offer, which seems too good to be true.
ii) Secondly, always remember that money can be earned only by good work. There is no other short cut.
iii) Thirdly, if you are in doubt about a particular offer, you must make proper investigation before making any investments.
iv) Lastly, you have a good head on your shoulders. Make good use of it.
Be safe while surfing over the internet! Don’t be a victim to these malicious Scams!
