HOW DO YOU TELL IF SOMEONE IS SCAMMING YOU ONLINE?
The following are signs to tell if someone is scamming you online;
If you are contacted out of the blue especially if it’s done online, it could be a scam. The authenticity of this can be verified via their official website and by calling the phone number there. Besides, you could check out the FCA register to see if the company is available – if the name is there you can continue the conversation but if not, they will be informed that someone is trying to use their brand for fraud.
Be careful if there is urgency in making a decision. There is no legitimate firm that will push you into taking a rushed decision of submitting vital information within a deadline. If your bank is requesting your personal information or PIN, it’s a scam. Your bank will not request your details, PIN, or online banking passwords. If you are suspicious, get the bank’s contact number from the website and call them directly. If the email or letter you received is full of grammatical and spelling errors, it could be a scam. Most companies ensure that these emails are proofread and check for grammatical errors before sending them out. If the website you are on does not have a secure link, it could be a pointer to fraud. So, whenever you are on a website – it’s important to check whether the site has a secure link. This can be done by checking for a padlock site on the browser. If a virus is detected – they use computer viruses to access your computer thereby making it easier for them to steal vital information that will be used to scam you. Therefore, you can have an antivirus installed to protect you from these fraudsters and even get rid of the existing ones