Cybercriminals can use multiple strategies to steal personal information, passwords or simply infect a computer. However, there are some methods that are more common and should be known to avoid problems. Therefore, in this article we are going to talk about the main internet scams. We are going to explain what you must do to identify them and how to be protected from them.
Major online scams
There are certain scams that tend to be more successful among cybercriminals. Although the objective is similar, the truth is that they are adapting the strategies to avoid antivirus and systems protection methods. Knowing what they are can help us avoid many problems in our day to day.
Phishing
One of the most recurring scams by cybercriminals is Phishing. It is a method by which they can steal passwords, usernames or personal data. It usually arrives by email, but they can also use SMS or even social networks to achieve the goal.
For avoid falling into the trapThe most important thing is common sense. Whenever you are going to log in to the Internet or make a payment, do it from official sources. Use official applications or go directly to the official website. It is important that you avoid accessing through links that you receive, since that can be a problem.
false offers
This especially happens at certain times of the year. Hackers take advantage appointed date like Christmas or Black Friday to launch scams. They are usually fraudulent pages that reach us and from which we can supposedly access a very good offer and buy something cheaper.
What they really want is to steal our data or make a payment and never receive the product. You have to be very careful with this and only buy on sites that are guaranteed. It’s a good idea to research the Internet beforehand and read comments from others to spot potential scams.
fraudulent programs
It is also quite common to meet fake programs. They are basically apps that pretend to be legitimate, but are actually a scam. Sometimes we find it for free, on Internet pages, forums or even in comments on platforms like YouTube. They want us to download that program and that’s where the problem begins.
We are actually installing malicious software on the system. It may be a virus that causes a malfunction, a keylogger that steals passwords or any type of malware that will cause problems and put our security and privacy at risk.
fake profiles
Of course, we must also mention fake profiles. we can find them in social networks like Facebook or Twitter. Hackers use them to gather information, use social engineering to steal passwords, sneak malware of all kinds, etc. They will always pretend to be a legitimate contact.
What to do to avoid this problem? It is important to carefully review who we add to social networks and who may or may not access the information we display. Be wary of strange profiles that send you links or any type of information, as that could be a trap.
In short, as you can see, these are the main scams on the Internet. It is essential to detect if a web page is safe to buy, to download applications or send any request and share data.
