As the use of technology increases, so does the risk of falling victim to digital fraud. Here are the 10 most common digital scams you need to know about to protect yourself:
- Phishing: Phishing is a fraud tactic that involves sending fake emails or text messages in order to obtain personal or financial information.
- Viruses and malware: Viruses and malware are malicious programs that can damage your computer or steal your information.
- Credit card fraud: Credit card fraud involves the unauthorized use of your credit card to make purchases.
- Identity theft: Identity theft involves obtaining your personal information, such as name, address and social security number, for malicious purposes.
- Investment fraud: Investment fraud involves promising extremely high returns on investments that don’t actually exist.
- Dating fraud: Dating fraud involves creating fake profiles on dating sites to steal money or personal information.
- Online purchase fraud: Online purchase fraud involves selling products that will never be delivered or obtaining financial information during the purchase process.
- Ticket fraud: Ticket fraud involves selling fake tickets for events such as concerts and sports.
- Job fraud: Job fraud involves the use of fake advertisements to offer fictitious jobs and steal personal information or money.
- Inheritance fraud: Inheritance fraud involves the promise of a fictitious inheritance in exchange for money or personal information.
To protect yourself against these digital scams, it’s important to be cautious when providing personal or financial information online, keep your security software up to date and be wary of offers that seem too good to be true. If you suspect fraud, contact the relevant cyber security authority immediately.
