The internet is filled with so many activities, from social media platforms to job platforms to streaming, and the list goes on.
And to access these platforms are our devices; phones, laptops and tablets.
Scammers and defrauders have found opportunities through these communication devices and platforms.
Also, they are now taking advantage of internet penetration in the world.
They have created schemes to deceive people and extort from them.
And the sad part of it all is that many people are ignorant of these schemes.
However, this article will show you some popular ways scammers and defrauders use and how to avoid them from happening.
Employment scam
This form of online scam scheme has become popular, especially with the rising trend in the employment space.
Many people are looking to get jobs online through online platforms like LinkedIn, Jobberman, etc.
However, some of these platforms are not properly regulated.
So there are a lot of fake accounts created to deceive people.
Their major target is those people who are looking to get employed.
And the purpose of this can be categorised into two; to get your details or get money.
The scammers come to you as if they are employers.
They come with a clone app or ask you to open some accounts using some platforms.
And then, they request a form with all your details or ask you to complete a website form.
Also, they might include a payment portal where they will request your bank detail (card).
And this can be used in compromising your account.
To avoid being scammed through this method, try to do your research.
Research on the account used to communicate the job process to you.
Ensure the website is properly secured with a security code if it is through a website.
You can also ask on platforms like nairametrics or Twitter about a company.
You will surely find someone, a representative of the platform or someone who can confirm with you about the company.
Investment scam
This is one of the common online scam schemes.
They come as money doublers.
You will hear them say, ‘put 10k and get 20k back’.
Sometimes they might ask you to invite a friend to get your money back.
The target of this kind of scam is those seeking to invest their money and get a certain percentage.
However, they expect to get a high investment within a few days, which is somewhat impossible.
An example is a person choosing to invest 10 thousand in the Nigerian currency to get 20,000 within 24 hours.
Although there is some legitimate investment, you can give you this outcome.
But it might take longer days to get it.
However, as some people refer to it, the Ponzi scheme is not legitimate.
After some time there is a crash in their something, and some people get affected by this, losing their money.
So if you are looking to invest your money into a business, ask questions.
Check how legitimate their investment process is so you won’t have any issues later.
Hacking and hijacking Social media platforms
This is very common on the social media platform, especially for those with a high following of numbers.
They can hijack your account by; finding out your password and hacking into your profile.
Another way they can steal your social media platform is by sending you a link, and when you fall prey to that, they get access to your platform.
By hijacking your platform, they can defraud people online by impersonating you.
They can ask people familiar with you for money.
Or they can use your account to tell someone to invest in a business.
They would lie that they had invested in a business, which yielded a high income.
Then they would invite you to yield in the unknown business.
Some people may fall for this; they would think the message is from the actual owner of the account.
To avoid this, you can reach out to the owner through another means.
You could call or send them a text message.
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Clone Social media Account
This is another popular way of scamming people.
Scammers and fraudsters now create social media accounts of high personnel, celebrities, business tycoons, etc.
They do this to defraud innocent people and extort them.
Some of them can come under the pretence of giving you an opportunity.
And through that, they find a means of extorting money from you.
Some might use the credibility of the account owner to request from you.
An example is a clone account of a pastor sending a dm to someone and telling the person to give the church money for a project.
Bank representation
With the world digitalised, you don’t need to visit the bank for most things anymore.
Most banks now have online representatives and platforms that can attend to the need of people.
However, scammers seize this opportunity to trick people into accessing their bank accounts.
They will call some people, posing to be a bank representative.
Then, they would ask for your bank details, saying that your account has an issue.
It could be your bak ATM or your Bank Verification Number (BVN) and then your password.
Once you provide this, they will access your account and steal your money.
Bank has warned that customers shouldn’t provide their details over a call as bank personnel don’t reach people that way.
However, people who are ignorant of this would fall prey.
Calls and messages for fake claims
Many scammers now send congratulatory messages via calls or messages.
They would tell the person they have won an award or won a lottery.
Also, they can cook up a story of how they picked you as the winner and then ask for funds so you can claim the price.
It is easy to know that you are about to be scammed for cases like this.
This is so because money shouldn’t be needed to get the prize if you actually won anything.
Unless it would look like you are just buying the prize.
Shopping platform
Online shopping has also grown.
It would interest you at the number of people now buying things online.
They build websites to scam people, or they clone existing websites.
When a person shops and pays, they do not get their goods.
Also, the scammers can have access to the person’s banking details.
You can verify a platform like this by using Google’s transparent report.
It will help the individual know if the site is safe.
Computer pop up
They are fake notifications that if you click on them, you are granting them access to your system.
And through that, they can steal your personal information from your computer.
They can have access to important documents, etc.
Implication for you reading
We hope you have learned about some online scam schemes many cybercriminals, hackers and fraudsters use.
They would keep looking for new ways to extort from people.
So you have to be very careful with whatever you are doing online or while using your device.
Try to read through documents and sites before going forward with anything.
Also, try to research online and hear what people say about that particular thing.
This way, you are at low risk of falling into the trap set by hackers and fraudsters.
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