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- Phishing scams. Cybercriminals have been able to bait many people with their phishing attacks in recent years, costing phishing victims over $54 million in 2020.
- Ransomware. A cybercriminal may infect your computer with malware called ransomware, if, for example, they are successful with phishing scams. Once installed, the cyberthief could encrypt your files and demand a ransom payment, typically in a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin.
- Scareware. Scareware can come in a couple forms, but possibly the most common of this internet scam is fake antivirus software. How it works: A pop-up alerts you of a virus that infected your device.
- Travel scams. Online scammers even have been able to leverage our wanderlust to con people out of more than $175 million in 2020 in the form of online travel scams.
- How Scams Find You
- Wrong Number (But Not Really) Scams
- War as A Scam
- Fake Invoice Scams
- Costly Cryptocurrency Scams
- Love and Money Scams
- A Good Scam Isn't Hard to Find
- How to Avoid Online Scams
In a video call, Bogdan Botezatu, Bitdefender's director of threat research, warned that despite the numerous ways scammers go after their targets, spam email remains the most prevalent. Using telemetry from Bitdefender customers, Botezatu was able to give me a high-level view of what email scams people are most likely to encounter. "We have seen t...
A common tactic is the "wrong number" scam, with which you are likely very familiar. In this attack, the scammer sends a seemingly innocent or flirtatious text message to their target, and then declares, "Whoops, wrong number." The apparent serendipity is meant solely to get you to interact with the scammer, Wisniewski told me. From the faux-accide...
Whether you’re hoping to score the hottest Prime Day deals, find out the latest COVID-19 information, or simply pay your taxes on time, scammers have figured out ways to capitalize on the internet’s omnipresent status in our lives. Scammers are also savvy and will quickly change tactics. "We see lots of experimentation," remarked Wisniewski. "They'...
Scammers are not only quick to change how they disguise their scams, they also change tactics. "The trend is toward having you retrieve the bad thing instead of them sending the bad thing in," said Wisniewski. He described a "fake invoice" scam, where attackers send their targets emails posing as a bill or invoice of some kind. These emails don't h...
The rise of cryptocurrency has made an enormous impact on online scams. At first, it was merely a means for bad guys to gather money directly from their targets without having to rely on intermediaries who might cut off their efforts. Perhaps because cryptocurrency is now more widely known, scammers are getting more creative with their crypto scams...
Scammers often use strong emotions to trick their targets, and few things are greater motivators for the human animal than the desire for love and money. On the love end, a frequent tactic is the romance scam, a form of catfishing. This relies on the very human desire for love and sex to, again, lead targets into making bad decisions. Many of the o...
Not too long ago, I would have advised people to watch out for unusual grammar, misspellings, or strange punctuation as signs of a scam message. In the fake invoice scam I received, there weren't any misspellings, but the wording was too awkward for a message delivered from a company that wants to retain my business. However, that's becoming a less...
Fortunately, there are still things people can do to protect themselves from online scams. The experts I spoke to offered the follwing nine suggestions for thwarting scammers:
- Max Eddy
- Lead Security Analyst
Jan 18, 2024 · Phishing scams. The most common and popular form of e-mail or text scam is phishing, where a user receives a message impersonating a person or organization they’re familiar with – an urgent ...
Oct 2, 2024 · Tips for spotting email scams. The easiest way to avoid email scams is to leverage protections built into Gmail, but whatever platform you use, here are some things to look for when you receive an email: Be wary of emails from strangers. Be careful about opening emails from people you don’t know and be extra attentive if someone is asking you ...
- Laurie Richardson
Sep 9, 2022 · Use resources like the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to stay up to date on the latest scams and how to spot them. Take your time and think before responding to any kind of unexpected message. SPEAK UP: Confirm the validity of the communication and report any concerns. If you suspect fraud, contact the sender of the communication through a ...
Oct 31, 2024 · 9. Online Ticket Scams. Online ticket scammers use fake websites or social media listings. In a typical version of the scam, buyers fork over money but never receive the tickets. There are other versions, though, when buyers get significantly worse seats than what they paid for. Over 90 percent of reported ticket scams in the U.K. begin on ...
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Phishing is the number one technique cyber criminals use to infiltrate your network to install malware/ ransomware or steal your data. Scammers take advantage of times of crisis, conflicts, or world events (e.g. pandemic, civil unrest), to launch phishing attacks on financial institutions, governments, and critical infrastructure sectors.
