Fight Against Online Scam: The Ways of a Scammer

Introduction

The internet is a great way to stay informed about what is going on in the world around us. News,

celebrity gossip, personal updates from friends, almost everything we want or need to know is available

online and usually via social media. In between all the useful information is a lot of misinformation

however. Hoaxes and scams continue to circulate online and there is a very real risk that you could be

caught out and These scams come in different forms that so many people fall for it because of the

scammers ways of scamming and this paper will discuss the ways of scammers and the ways to fight it

(Panda Security, 2019).

What is a Scam:

Online scam is also commonly referred to as an Internet scam. In a nutshell, Internet/online scam

is any type of fraud scheme that uses one or more components of the Internet to perpetrate a crime

(Koong et al., 2006).

Different Types of Scams:

These are the most popular techniques scammers are using to get unauthorized access to our

private information and financial data and we must not forget their final target which is our money and

valuable information that could risk our lives ( Zaharia, 2016).

These are the examples:

 The Nigerian scam

 Bank loan or credit card scam

  Lottery scam

 Romance scams

 Facebook impersonation scam (hijacked profile scam)

 Travel scams, Fake shopping websites,

 SMS Scamming(Smshing)

 Overpayment Online Scam

 Tech Support Online Scams

The Ways of a Scammer

The internet is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it makes much of our lives insanely easy,

making it possible for us to connect with loved ones and business partners no matter where they are on

the globe. On the other hand, it allows internet fraud to reach right into our offices, our homes, and into

our daily lives (Nicky LaMarco, 2019).

Using the internet gives us humans an easier way of accomplishing tasks, learning, computing

and many more. We are relying more on the internet as time progresses which means online criminal

activity will increase as well. Scammers are people who commit acts of fraud or people who participate

in a dishonest scheme. There are many types of scams and they keep increasing by the day so we must

be aware. Due to the amount of time people use on social media pages like Facebook, YouTube,

Instagram, Twitter and many more.

“They’re very good at convincing you that they are who they say they are and convincing you to

do things that you probably normally wouldn’t do,” said Frank Abagnale, a former con artist turned

respected security consultant (Herb Weisbaum, 2019).

 One of the more common types of scamming are by scammers sending random people emails

containing false information. Most of these email scams get flagged as spam thanks to modern

technology so that we do not have to deal with false emails. If by any chance some get through the

contents of the email could be saying that you have won a lottery or a huge amount of money but the

only way to claim it is by providing a small payment or bank information. These alone are dangerous

because unsuspecting people would be in a state of shock of thinking they won which they will agree on

giving the information but none arrives. The best ways to avoid these false claims are by verifying the

sources or check if you have entered any contest and if not then you cannot be picked randomly.

Another famous type of scam are the tech support scammers. The scammers call random

numbers to say that they have an issue regarding their software whether it is in their computer or by their

accounts online. The scammers will say that they work at a famous company like Microsoft for example

and then ask for full control of the victims computer so that they can take more information or use it to

modify the comouter to fool the victim into thinking that their computer has a virus. Most of the time

these scammers are only successful when they encounter people who are not well versed into

technology. The most obvious points of these scams are the mode of payments being asked by the

scammer, they only ask payments by gift cards which is impossible for an actual company to ask

payments like this. If we are to encounter these types of scammers since we cannot report it instantly

the best thing we can do is waste their time.

In social media we like to fully provide our information to the public like in facebook for example.

People looking at our accounts can see our friends list, information like age and birthdays and more.

Some scammers take all these information and make a new account named as the victim and then add

their unsuspecting friends. The scammer will be posting that the original account was hacked and that

the fake one is the new account. This will make the friends of the victim accept the profile and even talk

to the scammer without them knowing that it is not their friend. There are a lot more of these scams and
once you get fooled you cannot retrieve the lost information because some scammers are really

advanced at hiding their tracks while some are not. If you encounter any of these scams it would be best

to report it to the authorities immediately as to give caution or a chance that the scammer will be caught.

According to a report from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), millennials are particularly more

vulnerable to online scams than seniors, as shocking as it may seem. The research finds that “40

percent of adults age 20-29 who have reported fraud ended up losing money in a fraud case”.

(Hannaford, 2010) notes that the figures show a dramatic spike in both the amount of money

being lost every year to fraud and the number of victims, with more than 20,000 people nationally

reporting losses to consumer protection authorities.

Fraudsters are also targeting the elderly, with victims in the United Kingdom losing a combined

total of approximately £3million of life savings every six months (Ward, 2004).

Indeed, the cost of identity theft to Australian businesses is over AUS$1 billion per year (Debus,

2008), with advance fee frauds alone costing Australian consumers between AUS$170 million and

AUS$680 million per year (Bowen, 2008).

By comparison, it has been estimated that around ten million Americans were victims of identity

theft, with a total cost of approximately US$50 billion within a single year (Sarel & Marmorstein, 2006).

How to fight back in to scam

A study of the European Union's Internal Market Commission estimated in 2001 that "junk e-mail"

cost Internet users €10 billion per year worldwide (European Commission, 2001); furthermore the

California legislature found that spam cost United States organizations alone more than $13 billion in
2007, including lost productivity and the additional equipment, software, and manpower needed to

combat the problem (California Lawt, 2007).

 Spot imposters. Scammers often pretend to be someone you trust, like a government official, a

family member, charities, or a company you do business with. Don’t send money or give out

personal information in response to an unexpected request — whether it comes as a text, a

phone call, or an email (Federal Trade Commission, 2018).

 Do online searches. Type a company or product name into your favorite search engine with

words like “review,” “complaint” or “scam.” Or search for a phrase that describes your situation,

like “IRS call.” You can even search for phone numbers to see if other people have reported them

as scams (Federal Trade Commission, 2018).

 Don’t believe your caller ID. Technology makes it easy for scammers to fake caller ID information,

so the name and number you see aren’t always real. If someone calls asking for money or

personal information, hang up. If you think the caller might be telling the truth, call back to a

number you know is genuine (Federal Trade Commission, 2018).

 Don’t pay upfront for a promise. Someone might ask you to pay in advance for things like debt

relief, credit and loan offers, mortgage assistance, or a job. They might even say you’ve won a

prize, but first you have to pay taxes or fees. If you do, they will probably take the money and

disappear (Federal Trade Commission, 2018).

 Consider how you pay. Credit cards have significant fraud protection built in, but some payment

methods don’t. Wiring money through services like Western Union or MoneyGram is risky

because it’s nearly impossible to get your money back. That’s also true for reloadable cards (like

MoneyPak or Reloadit) and gift cards (like iTunes or Google Play). Government offices and

honest companies won’t require you to use these payment methods (Federal Trade Commission,

2018).
  Talk to someone. Before you give up your money or personal information, talk to someone you

trust. Con artists want you to make decisions in a hurry. They might even threaten you. Slow

down, check out the story, do an online search, consult an expert — or just tell a friend (Federal

Trade Commission, 2018).

 Hang up on robocalls. If you answer the phone and hear a recorded sales pitch, hang up and

report it to the FTC. These calls are illegal, and often the products are bogus. Don’t press 1 to

speak to a person or to be taken off the list. That could lead to more calls (Federal Trade

Commission, 2018).

 Be skeptical about free trial offers. Some companies use free trials to sign you up for products

and bill you every month until you cancel. Before you agree to a free trial, research the company

and read the cancellation policy. And always review your monthly statements for charges you

don’t recognize (Federal Trade Commission, 2018).

 Don’t deposit a check and wire money back. By law, banks must make funds from deposited

checks available within days, but uncovering a fake check can take weeks. If a check you deposit

turns out to be a fake, you’re responsible for repaying the bank (Federal Trade Commission,

2018).

 Sign up for free scam alerts from the FTC at ftc.gov/scams. Get the latest tips and advice about

scams sent right to your inbox (Federal Trade Commission, 2018).

Since some scams are so well organized and really convincing, and people behind them so

difficult to catch, we need to always keep our guard up. Stay informed about the latest scamming

strategies ( Zaharia, 2016).

In conclusion, online scamming is an alarming threat to us because scammers can take our

information without us knowing. The scammers may be leaking our information online which can be

dangerous and life threatening. We need to be extremely cautious on the internet as not to give away
any of our personal or important information without having any verification on who we are giving it to.

However if we do need to provide needed information we must make sure that the website is verified

and trusted rather than just giving the information blindly. Remember to think before you click.