Online scammers send out thousands of emails and make phone calls every day – and they are often successful. There is a huge chance that you or your family member will be contacted by a scammer one day, if you have not been already.
Phishing scams are attempts to trick you to reveal personal information, such as credit card numbers, bank information, or passwords. There are many ways phishing attacks can happen: scammers can pretend to be a reputable company, a friend, or a colleague, or through a link inside a crafted message.
Identity theft happens when someone steals a victim’s identity to impersonate someone or steal directly from them. Criminals can also use the stolen identity to commit fraud or other crimes, such as taking out a loan, stealing money from bank accounts, and/or getting the victim arrested due to criminals using their identities.
Imagine receiving a phone call from a trusted person informing you of a difficult situation, and that you need to download an application to resolve this. Next, you are locked out of all your devices and online platforms. Worst of all, you lose all your life savings permanently. Would you know what to do?
Protecting your personal information with no risk may be impossible these days. However, by practising and spotting red flags you can help prevent online scam.
Prevention is better than a cure, and being aware of the existence of scams, phishing, and identity theft is a good starting point. To learn more about scams, phishing, and identity theft, click on the resource materials below:
