Internet scams have been on a rampage for a while, with people using fake identities to infiltrate others. They come in many forms, with the most common being dating, or via phone chat. Internet and phone scams are what I’d term unconscious conscious hacking. Using different kinds of tricks and methods to take things from people while believing they are doing the right thing.
Even though they are “innovative” in their tricks, and have many ways they get into people’s heads, or gadgets, there are still ways you can avoid them. Of course, I won’t tell you to stop dating, or even chatting with new people online, but instead how to spot them and avoid them. Though some are experts with advanced techniques like unethical hacking, their target is usually not through phones. In this post, we focus more on the internet, specifically phone scams in 2023, and how to avoid them.
Common Internet and Phone Scams in 2023
There are many ways people get into scams on the internet, while the most common being dating and crypto, there are other ways of trust breaching on the internet. These scam methods come in phishing, Online purchase scams, and Social engineering methods. Here’s how they are mostly done, and signs to watch out for in each of them.
1. Crypto scam
This is one of the most common scams since 2020 and it is still on as of 2023. Crypto in all of its existence is not a scam, but as we all know, not even the Wright brothers made the airplanes for destructive purposes. These scams are quite tricky as they would work for a selected few, while others get dumped on the market.
Related: Crypto Scam Phishing
Pump and Dump
First and the most common crypto scam is called “Pump and dump” which is the universally common one, especially on new coins. This is where a new coin will entice many people by favoring some set of selected people (especially marketers) who will show you how well they are earning from the coin. When they see the number of people they need to buy the coin, they would withdraw heavy shares, along with the owners, and dump them on others.
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This will then render the coin useless for everyone that bought it. Scammers broadcast (via marketers) misleading information and engage in coordinated purchases to influence the price of lesser-known cryptocurrencies. As a result, the price increases, luring unwary investors to invest. When the con artists sell their assets, the price drops, causing significant losses for those who purchased during the pump.
Fake ICOs
The fake Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), which are common in the crypto fraud scene, are comparable to the pump and dump. Scammers fabricate ICOs that are false and advertise investment opportunities in emerging cryptocurrencies. Investors are persuaded to give money, but the con artists have no intention of following through on their claims. The fraudulent ICO vanishes after amassing a substantial sum of money, leaving investors with lost money.
Phishing cryptocurrency
Phishing cryptocurrency schemes use phony emails, websites, or messages that closely resemble those of trusted cryptocurrency exchanges or wallet providers. By tricking victims into providing their private keys or login information, the scammers hope to get unlawful access to their cryptocurrency funds.
It can be difficult for customers to recognize the frauds since they frequently mimic the branding, design, and language used by trustworthy platforms. Scammers use plausible phishing websites to trick people into disclosing sensitive information, including passwords or private keys.
Advanced scammers may infect victims’ devices with malicious software like trojans or keyloggers to steal their private keys or login credentials. With this knowledge, the con artists take over the Bitcoin wallets of the victims and can transfer the money to their acc
2. Phishing Scams
Phishing schemes are sneaky methods used by con artists to steal sensitive data like passwords, credit card numbers, or social security numbers.
These scams often include con artists impersonating trustworthy businesses or financial institutions in emails or messages to unwary people asking them to divulge their personal information. They engender a sense of urgency or importance to compel the recipients to take immediate action and freely divulge their sensitive information.
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Once people fall for it and give their personal information, con artists can use it for a variety of nefarious activities. They might use the information to steal identities, gain access to accounts, conduct unlawful transactions, or engage in other fraudulent acts that could result in serious harm and monetary losses.
3. Dating Scams
You are quite familiar with these types of scams, almost everyone has chatted with people like this before, especially if they make It obvious. However, some build connections and real images for you to believe, which as a human, you might.
To gradually earn their trust and emotional attachment, the con artists develop love relationships with their victims (Mostly on dating apps like Tinder, or Scruff). To induce the victims to donate money or divulge personal and financial information, they prey on their weaknesses and employ emotional manipulation.
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With the use of fake personal information and stolen images, con artists construct plausible profiles to launch the swindle. They portray themselves as handsome, accomplished people who frequently have interesting life histories. Once in a while, the con artist will propose a false emergency or financial difficulties. They might make up an emergency medical situation, a recent job loss, or legal issues. By fostering a sense of urgency and despair, they evoke sympathy and a desire to assist in the victims. At this point, they start asking their victims for money or sensitive personal and financial data.
Related: Best Dating Apps in 2023 for Android and iOS
4. Social Engineering
The process scammers accomplish their fraudulent goals on another note is social engineering or psychology. Internet and phone scams. These frauds rely on psychological manipulation and prey on people’s emotions and trust.
Scammers who pose as friends or family members who seem to be in need are frequent examples of social engineering scams. They might contact or send messages claiming to be in urgent need of money owing to an unanticipated emergency. Scams involving social engineering are successful because they carefully cultivate trust and use emotional manipulation. To make their impersonation more plausible, scammers may use social media or other online sites to obtain information about their targets. This makes it difficult for the victim to think rationally or verify the authenticity of the situation.
5. Online Purchase Scam
Scammers also frequently create phony internet markets that at first look seem to be authentic. It is challenging for customers to spot scams on these fake websites since they resemble the layout and features of well-known platforms.
They use enticing offers or difficult-to-find merchandise to entice unwary customers to make a purchase. The buyer, however, never receives the item after making the payment, and the con artist vanishes with their money.
To increase credibility and trust, they create phony accounts, frequently with excellent ratings and favorable reviews. When buyers deal with these con artists, they think they are dealing with a trustworthy seller; nevertheless, they later learn that the seller was a fake and the deal was a hoax.
Why People Fall for Some Scams Without Knowing
People that fall for scams are not to be blamed, the scammers are smart too. There has been someone who usually spot scammers until they fell for a smarter one. No one is perfect, and that’s why you need to be less emotional, or desperate for online people or listen to “motivational” speakers in the “get rich quick” sector of the internet.
These people know how to gaslight you by making you think you can’t be rich without joining their “telegram channel” of rich people Ponzi. Being pessimistic helps in this case, where you table the possible scenarios to avoid, even if they sound unusual.
However, you cannot be an expert enough, so studying different cases, here are the reasons why most people fall for online scams. The most common are emotional manipulations, lack of awareness and information, Cognitive Bias, Pressure, Easy Trust, and financial illiteracy.
Emotional Manipulations
Scammers frequently prey on people’s feelings, taking advantage of weak points like loneliness, despair, or fear. Scammers use these feelings to instill a sense of urgency or prey on people’s needs for money, affection, or security. People may become less logical and more open to manipulation when their emotions are high.
Financial illiteracy
Financial transactions or intricate investment strategies are common components of fraud. If you don’t understand how money is circulated, you can fall for this on platforms like Telegram, which is most popular in cryptocurrency and Ponzi schemes.
Scams may target people who have little awareness or comprehension of financial problems. Scammers profit from this lack of financial literacy by employing ambiguous terminology, guaranteeing improbable profits, or offering false investment opportunities that appear trustworthy.
Easy Trust
Just because two or three people informed you, they become wealthy from it doesn’t mean it’s true. They’ll even provide you with proof of their withdrawal in the form of transactions. Observe this. They are marketers doing what they do best.
The deal is legitimate? It’s still a hoax, isn’t it? Also, Yes. To win over more people’s trust, you may even see people cashing out while doing nothing. You don’t get your money back days after investing, thus that is not an investment; it’s a scam.
To make their schemes appear, official, they can adopt recognizable logos, assume authoritative roles, or imitate recognized institutions. People are more prone to ignore warning signs and fall for a scam inadvertently when they believe the con artist or the information provided.
Cognitive Bias
Confirmation bias and optimism bias are two examples of cognitive biases that can impair judgment and cause people to make choices that support their prior views or goals. By offering facts or promises that are consistent with people’s preexisting views or goals, con artists take advantage of these prejudices. People are more likely to fall for fraud since it is difficult for them to objectively assess whether the situation is legitimate because of biases.
Pressure
Scammers utilize deceptive tactics to convince victims that they must make a decision right away rather than thoroughly considering their options. They instill a sense of urgency or present offers that are too good to refuse yet are only valid for a brief period. They will try to make you feel terrible and convince you how “poor” you might be if you don’t join them through gaslighting techniques. ideal answer? Before they can say anything else to make you stop and think, cut them off.
5 Ways to Avoid Internet and Phone Scams in 2023
There are many ways to get off multiple types of internet and phone scams. You can simply do the opposite of what was stated in the section above, and you can also follow these 5 ways, which will let you know what to do in a situation like this.
1. Be Pessimistic
When you get unwanted calls, emails, or messages, learn to be skeptical. The validity of offers, requests for personal information, or pressing demands should be questioned. Always keep in mind that if something seems shady or too good to be true, it generally is. Do investments seem too dubious? Avoid.
You didn’t put in much effort, but you were promised enormous results. Avoid! When people reveal their names or identities to you on dating apps, conduct further investigation into them on other social networks, discover your mutual friends, and check their criminal histories. Ask them questions if they do so, or just go along with it if they want money.
2. Protecting Sensitive details from anyone online
Be careful when disclosing private information online. Don’t enter private information like social security numbers, passwords, or financial information into untrusted websites or communication channels. Legitimate businesses won’t make such a request through unwanted mail.
Under no circumstances will banks request any of these details over the phone or online. Of course, no online stranger will ask for it directly, but some may be able to get it through the personal information you link to your accounts, which you must keep secure.
3. Using Secured Connections and Tools
Use Secure Connections and Tools: Preventing fraud requires safeguarding your devices and online accounts. For each of your accounts, start by making strong, one-of-a-kind passwords, and think about utilizing a password manager to keep them safe. Whenever possible, use two-factor authentication, which increases security by requiring a verification code in addition to your password.
Use secure connections when browsing the internet, especially when handling private information like passwords or financial information. Websites having “https://” in the URL, signifying an encrypted connection, should be sought out. Avoid doing critical transactions on public Wi-Fi networks since they could be intercepted. Choose trusted networks instead, or for an additional layer of encryption, utilize a virtual private network (VPN).
4. Stay Updated on the Latest Tricks used by scammers
Scammers change as well; they pick up new tricks from their unsuccessful victims or strategies. Internet and phone scams improvise, so you should too. There are people keeping watch of this, especially dating app scams and cryptocurrency scams, as they refresh their formats and upgrade themselves. Maintain knowledge of current scam tactics and widespread fraud schemes. Keep abreast of news and cautions coming from reliable sources, such as governmental bodies or consumer advocacy groups. To properly identify and avoid fraud, awareness is essential.
5. Legitimacy Verifications
Spend some time independently confirming the sender’s legitimacy and identity before responding to them. Use official contact details that you can find in phone directories, on official websites, or from reputable customer service hotlines. To avoid potential fraud, avoid clicking on links or dialing back numbers indicated in questionable messages.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Internet and phone scams continue to pose a threat, but with awareness and proactive measures, you can safeguard yourself. Stay skeptical, verify the legitimacy of contacts, protect personal information, use secure connections and tools, and stay updated on scam trends. By implementing these strategies, you can navigate the digital landscape with greater confidence and protect yourself from falling victim to online scams. Stay informed, stay cautious, and stay safe online.
