(Blog preface: I promised you The Tales of a Stroke Patient and More blog so this is where “and More” comes into play).
I like to browse the Internet to see what’s new, now that I’m a “shut in” more than I used to be because of the pandemic. I could spend two hours on a slow day just looking around. But then I’m done for the day. But scammers, those people trying to get your personal information, live on the Internet. The scammers come up with all the ways to make you and your money part. After all, they are greedy and live out their motto: It’s never enough.
Those people who are the scammers’ victims aren’t stupid. They’re naive, babes in the woods so to speak, about how powerful the Internet is in conniving schemes that we call scams. The victims of the scams come in all ages and genders, but they usually target the over 50 crowd because they might not be so knowledgeable with the vast powers of the Internet.
In the era of the pandemic, scams have soared because many people only go out for essentials and are working (if they haven’t lost the job) from home.
Here’s 5 scams that come to mind.
Online Dating Scams
Like most people who are caught in this giant net, most scammers are overseas, so prosecution gets to be an ugly and costly mess. Male scammers are often based in West Africa, while the female scammers are mostly from the eastern parts of Europe, research tells me.
Job Offer Scams
Posturing as recruiters, these scammers use fake though
irresistible job opportunities to entice people.
It might begin with a text, an email, or a brazen phone call from someone claiming to be a recruiter from a well-known company like Google or Facebook who saw your resume and claiming they are interested in you for hire.
Don’t fall into this trap because in the end, you’ll have to pay to get hired, and when you go to the job on your first day, you weren’t hired at all. Call a real recruiters and learn for yourself that the process doesn’t work this way.
All recruiters have established a relationship with one big company or a ton of companies because if they find a person that’s suitable for hire, the recruiters get paid a commission. That’s how it works. The phony recruiter will probably ask you for money that will be automatically deducted from your account, and you might give it, but remember: The employers pay recruiters, not you.
Travel Scams
Travel scams usually start with an email, offering you and fantastic stay in a fabulous, sometimes exotic, spot for typically 5 to 7 days. It might come with an expiration date that’s soon, so you would rush to make a decision. Scammers don’t want you to think about this ideal vacation too much because thinking too much brings about thoughts that it may be a scam!
The problems with these scams are threefold:
Tech Support Online Scams
According to a Washington Post, “Nearly half of all cellphone calls next year will come from scammers,” so we need to protect ourselves from vile actions.
Scammers use various social engineering techniques to fool likely victims into giving their personal information. Sometimes, they try to persuade victims into paying for protection that never comes.
These technical geniuses, if you have given them any information, throw around high-tech buzzwords that offers trust and confidence in the unsuspecting victim, so much so they can take over your computer and transfer money to their bank account if you give them your i.d. and password.
Online Shopping or Auctions Scams
We are not talking about big name companies like Amazon, IKEA, or Wayfair from which I have purchased items with quality customer service departments.
I’m talking about a scammer who will set up a website just to steal money and sell a product, and offer you an inferior item in its place or, at times, nothing at all. They may also sell a product just to get your credit card or bank account details.
An online auction scam revolves around a scammer saying that you have a second chance to buy something on which you bid because the winner has changed his or her mind. The scammer will request for payment outside of the auction site’s tight payment location. If you give them your money, it will be lost and the actual auction site is not responsible.
From phrases.org re: too good to be true:
“This cautious view is undoubtedly even older than its first expression in English, in the sixteenth century. Nevertheless, it has been repeated in the same form ever since, with only slight variations as Mark Twain’s, “It’s too good for true, honey, it’s too good for true” (Huckleberry Finn, 1884).
So ask yourself, “Is the offer too good to be true?” first, and therein you’ll find the answer.
