What’s A Scam And What’s Real? How To Stay Alert Online

That’s why it’s important to differentiate between what’s legitimate and what’s a scam when navigating the digital world. You can keep yourself safer online by following these three simple tips:

1. Be leery. Every now and then, you get an email from someone or some company that doesn’t seem familiar—yet it piques your interest. You may even get one from someone or someplace you know, asking you for money or letting you know there’s a $100 gift card waiting for you. It’s better to proceed with caution and delete an email that might have a “special offer”, for example, than to give a criminal access to your social security number, bank account information, etc. If you want to know if the offer is real, contact the person or company online (don’t click on links in an email!) or make a phone call. A good rule of thumb: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

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2. Investigate the source. A common scam that you’ll find in your inbox is an email notifying you of a “security breach“, saying your account (e.g., social media, streaming, bank, etc.) has been hacked, and you need to click a link to get your credentials back. These emails are often put together with real-looking company logos to make you think it’s legitimate. The place to look for legitimacy is in the email address. Hover over the sender’s email address (often it’s entirely different) to see if it’s a potential threat. Better yet, delete the email and contact your company separately. Here are some other things that are common in fake emails:

• Spelling errors or strangely worded phrasing
• Subdomains that using symbols in place of letters to make the word look the same (e.g., [email protected])
• They create a feeling of urgency or panic

3. Be aware of social media scrolling. Beyond your inbox, there are other places online where you can get scammed. Social media is a popular place for fake companies to set up accounts and false websites that are designed to take your money. It’s not uncommon for these scams to include products that you’re currently shopping for online.

For example, if you’ve been looking for a new pair of shoes, you’ll get often get ads for those same shoes on your social media feed. While most are real, many are fake. Let’s say the shoes would normally cost $50, but one site is selling them for $25 (first red flag: the price is too low). You click the link in the ad, go to the website that seems legitimate, then buy the shoes. But they never come because the company isn’t real. The best-case scenario is your money is gone and you notify your credit card company. The worst-case scenario is that the “seller” also takes your account information and goes on a massive spending spree. Here are some ways to identify the fakes:

• Take a closer look at the website before ordering. Reliable companies will often have a backstory, location, and contact information. Fakes are often sparce with little info.
• If you’re getting referred to a website from social media, read the comments on the post first. Good Samaritan users will often point out when a company has scammed them in the comment section.
• If there are way too many 5-star reviews, be warned. Sometimes they’ll be bot accounts designed to leave positive reviews to further the ruse.

4. Keep your computer protected. Computer viruses with malware, Trojan horses, and ransomware can be lurking around any corner on the internet, so it’s important to have antivirus software installed on your computer. Antivirus software works by quarantining viruses and preventing them from spreading code throughout your computer. It will then safely eliminate the malicious code, so you’re not at risk of getting compromised.

The online world can be tricky to navigate. You can protect yourself by recognizing what is a scam and what isn’t, not giving out personal financial information, and making sure you have good antivirus software installed on your devices.