Cybercrime has been on the rise over the past few years, and fraudsters are finding new and innovative tricks designed to scam unsuspecting consumers.
In many respects, scams online can be quite cunning. Here, both the young and elderly can be preyed upon, and they can unwittingly fall into a trap where they hand over personal details or financial information without their consent.
Phishing, for example, has sprung to the top of the list of online scams where malicious links have been sent via email, WhatsApp, or social media, and they are quite common. They have also become eminently more sophisticated.
But how can you stay safe online? And what steps should you take to avoid falling into the pitfall of being scammed?
Firstly, you should be aware of any unsolicited emails. It is very unusual for organizations to contact you out of the blue, but if it looks suspicious, then you should refrain from opening the message.
Similarly, it is rare to be asked for personal details via email. Scammers will usually try and do this over the phone, but if you don’t recognise who is contacting you, or if you are not fully convinced that it is from a legitimate company, then you should steer well clear.
Sometimes, you may be sent something that may seem too good to be true. This could be from fake sites and they are trying to purport this to be an unmissable offer. Otherwise known as formjacking, this is a new type of cyber threat where criminals will try and steal your credit card information.
Make sure your passwords are watertight
On that point, you should always make sure your passwords are watertight. Ideally, go for a memorable password that is also secure and never share passwords with anyone, otherwise, this could fall into the wrong hands, and you could be susceptible to an attack. The onus nowadays for all industries is to make sure they are cyber secure, so they can be proactive when trying to deal with online attacks.
This is prevalent in the retail and banking industries where sensitive financial information is shared, but it is also equally important when it comes to gaming and playing at online casinos. Players, for example, who choose to join the West Virginia top-rated online casinos, will want reassurances that they will be protected when they gamble over the internet. Many of the top operators, such as BetMGM Casino and DraftKings Casino, will have the latest SSL (Secure Socket Layer) measures installed, and they will also be fully licensed sites that are approved by a formal gambling body.
Of course, scamming is continually evolving. But when it comes to online scams, being vigilant is a must, and if that means downloading the latest and most robust anti-software programme to thwart any potential viruses, then so be it.
In this guide, we have tried to outline a few key principles when it comes to scams and how to avoid becoming a victim. We hope that you have taken these ideas on board so that you can be more online savvy in the future.
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