Internet Fraud: How Do Spammers Work?
Since the 2000s, online fraud has been a constant problem. Experienced online attackers always catch careless users in the network. Antiviruses, of course, protect you from spammers. However, even antivirus programs are not a panacea. Sometimes even the best antivirus can miss a dangerous letter in your mail. What should we do in this situation? The answer is simple: know the tricks of spammers to understand how to defend yourself from the Internet fraud.
What are banking and financial phishing?
One of the most popular spammer tricks is phishing. For example, we can talk about banking phishing. It is when an attacker wants to steal information about your credit cards or bank accounts. This is very dangerous because your data is directly related to your money.
But how does it work? For example, a spammer may send you a fake email from your bank: an unsuccessful transaction or suspicious activity has occurred, and you must verify your identity. Data about you is usually collected from social networks to make the message compelling for you. If you give your details (credit card, bank account) to spammers, they will use them for their transactions. And you will be left with a loss. In addition, they may also sell your personal information.
What are fake notifications?
It is also a type of the Internet fraud. We can even say that this is one of the favourite strategies of spammers. When you use email, social networks, mobile phones, and online stores, you are not immune from spammers. Fake notifications take you to fake pages that collect sensitive data. What are fake notifications and how to protect yourself from them? We will talk about this further.
Social media notifications
Today we can hardly imagine our life without social networks. It is not surprising that scammers direct their efforts to social media users. When you receive a fake notification, it will redirect you to a fake page. So you are asked to confirm your username and password. The goal is to get your login details for your social profiles. Another danger: spammers sending phishing links under the guise of friend requests, messages about “new friends”, etc. So, better pay attention to social media security standards.
Notifications from email services
Of course, the popularity of social media cannot kill email. Companies and private users usually use email for work and personal needs. Yes, giant email services like Gmail have built-in protection against online fraud. However, an experienced spammer will still find a way to get into your mail. One method to do this is a notification purporting to be from your email provider. For example, such a notification may tell you that someone tried to access your mail. You will be asked to verify your identity. Also, spammers use a fake page for that to steal your confidential information.
Popular websites notifications
World-famous marketplaces, movie-watching services, etc. are also an opportunity for spammers to steal your data. An experienced scammer will come up with a convincing problem with accounts, and payments, so you have to provide your data (login and password). However, you can understand that this is a spammer. Because spammers do not use the official addresses of services or websites, as well as their support services.
Fake websites and scams
First of all: what is a fake website? There are popular websites for which online scammers create copies. These copies may be nearly identical. Spammers usually offer you special discounts or other supposedly good things through forums, emails, and apps. All you need to do is create an account and provide your credit card details. It is a hard version of an online scam. Also, spammers can just lure your data to sell it later.
What is a “Nigerian” scam?
Another name for the “Nigerian” scam or “Nigerian” Internet fraud is the money transfer scam. For example, you receive a letter in the mail that your rich relative in Nigeria has died and you are the only heir. However, you must pay a small fee, and provide your credit card details and personal information. After that, all the untold wealth is yours. Of course, in such a description it seems nonsense. However, everyone wants to believe in a fairy tale. Therefore, you need to be careful about such letters and not respond to them. Because if you give scammers your bank account details, they can steal your money.
Are there charity scams?
Of course, this also happens. Sometimes spammers play with your emotions. Charity is a profitable environment for scammers. Emotional articles, headlines, pictures, appeals for help to children, animals, and the sick – all this can be a scam. Typically, spammers use phishing, social media, or email messages to get you to donate. The goal is not only to get money from you but also to steal your credit card details.
What about government fraud?
Sometimes you may come across sites that look very much like government sites. The purpose of the fraudster in this case is to frighten you, to intimidate you. So, you may receive a letter that seems to be from the police or the tax office asking you to provide your data. Fraudsters often know information about you: your first name, last name, and even your insurance number. However, be careful: government agencies do not use email for this. They contact you directly.
Are you tired of fake greeting cards?
Online postcards are annoying, but you still open them sometimes, right? So, spammers can use such cards to give you a virus or lure your data. With phishing, you receive an online postcard purporting to be from your friends or relatives. You may even be asked to verify your identity to view the picture. After that, you may be forced to go to a fake page that will download a virus to your computer.
How to protect yourself from the Internet fraud?
There can only be one piece of advice here:
1️⃣ never click on suspicious links;
2️⃣ never open weird emails in your email;
3️⃣ don’t provide personal details or bank account information on unofficial services.
Summary:
Internet fraud, also known as spam, is a type of cybercrime that involves the use of deceptive or malicious techniques to obtain personal or financial information from individuals or organizations. There are several ways that spammers can operate:
- Phishing attacks involve sending fake emails or messages that appear to be from a legitimate source, such as a bank or government agency, in order to trick the recipient into divulging sensitive information.
- Malware attacks involve installing malicious software on a computer or device without the user’s knowledge, often through email attachments or downloaded files. The malware can then be used to steal sensitive information or to gain access to the user’s accounts.
- Spamming involves sending large volumes of unsolicited emails or messages, often for the purpose of promoting a product or service.
- Social engineering attacks involve manipulating people into divulging sensitive information or performing actions that may compromise their security.
To protect yourself from internet fraud, it is important to be cautious when clicking on links or downloading attachments, and to use strong, unique passwords for all of your accounts.
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