In most cases, a stolen identity might represent the worst thing that could happen to someone, especially when the personal bank account is robbed. Luckily, there are many ways to protect ourselves from online scams, and more than that, persons who consider they need extra support can ask for the legal advice of a fraud solicitor with experience in this area.
Cyber scams – what you need to know
Internet scams are widely spread in the UK and everywhere in the world. However, the authorities pay much attention to the ways of stopping the phenomenon by implementing different kinds of measures and fines. If you would like to avoid the status of internet victim, you can follow a few basic recommendations:
1. Do not trust emails promising huge sums of money – This is probably the most used type of fraud on the internet, meant to access your very private bank account. Such emails are quite attractive and are offering unique deals you cannot miss. The thing is that there is no such thing like gaining a great amount of money by simply clicking a link or providing your personal bank account information. This is simply a scam you need to avoid by marking the email as spam.
2. Charity donations asking for mercy – Another internet fraud is related to the type of announcements found on the internet asking for financial help. This kind of internet fraud is meant to access your bank account if you click and make a donation. It is good to know that charity works and donations must be verified, and in most cases are seen on TV or announced in local newspapers. Do not offer money on the internet to unknown persons! You might be trapped in an online scam and find out your bank account has been robbed.
3. Lottery scams, another way to foul someone – This is another internet rip-off that might turn normal people into real victims. The mechanism is quite simple, as an ordinary, yet convincing email announces that you just won the big prize.
The next step is to make a small payment in a specific bank account, just in time to smash your personal one and leave you out of money. It is good to know that there is no such thing like gaining money on the internet by simply offering your bank account on the internet, via a webpage or email.
Think twice before providing your personal data, especially when it comes to online announcements, promises or big prizes, and mark as spam any suspicious email. You can also report fake pages on the internet.
4. Phishing scams are nightmare scenarios – These are probably the most met internet frauds of today’s online environment, involving identity fraud. In other words, your personal data like name, passwords, accounts or credit card details are accessed as soon as you click on certain links provided on email or online. This is a digital theft that makes thousands of victims on a daily basis, not only in the UK, but around the world, and the best thing to do is to avoid fake websites and suspicious emails by marking as spam or reporting them.
Protecting ourselves from online frauds
There is no perfect recipe for detecting online scams, however, it is important to be aware of the phenomenon, especially if you have internet access. The personal data is always vulnerable in wrong hands, and victims of online scams might find one day that their personal accounts have been breached. It is recommended to use these simple, yet efficient methods: report and mark as spam anything that seems suspicious and disturbing. Making money at home, free holidays, pyramid schemes or upfront payments should be attentively measured as there might be hidden scams.
