Last Updated on March 8, 2021
6. Get familiar with most common online frauds and scams
The best way to avoid being a victim of an online scam is to be properly informed and familiar with the techniques that scammers frequently use. With that in mind, you should know that phishing email scams are probably the hacking method most commonly used to obtain access to online bank accounts. Here’s how it works: Hackers trick people into freely giving way sensitive information (such as your bank account login details, for example) by making them believe they are dealing with the official banking entity. Usually, phishing emails look like they come from a legitimate source and contain an external link to a fake website that looks exactly like your bank’s. If you try to login to your account as you would normally do, you will be giving your username and password to the hacker – he might even trick you into giving away the SMS code we mentioned earlier. There’s also a text message scam that uses the exact same principles to deceive the victim. How to spot a phishing email:
- Check the domain name in the sender’s email address. If it comes from a public email domain such as Hotmail or Gmail, or if it has a typo (e.g., “@PayPl.com” instead of @PayPal.com), it’s a scam.
- Look for grammatical mistakes and poorly written sentences. Companies usually hire copywriters that know how to write. That’s supposed to be their main skill.
- Always be suspicious of links and attached files. Even if the email is from a real company, you should open a new tab in your browser and manually enter the official website to login to your account.
- Keep in mind that legitimate companies will never request your sensitive information via email.
