7 internet scams even the brightest people fall for
A few years ago, you were regarded as internet trendy if you ignored mails from kings from Nigeria or adopting dogs from faraway lands. Now times have changed and the distinction between a scam and what happens to be a legitimate online business is not so easy to do as the lines have blurred. From various phishing schemes that are masquerading as legitimate businesses that lure you into fraudulent websites with innocent-looking click-bait images to malware that’s concealed in Wi-Fi hotspots; here are the top internet scams that even the brightest of us fall for.
Fake social network email
This one has been gaining popularity in recent years and distinguishing between a fraudulent email and a genuine one is a difficult task. It may say you have a new urgent notification or that someone is trying to access your account and it needs you to sign in to verify your information. If you click on this link, you will be sent to a fake website and if you sign in on this page, scammers can hack your account and steal your identity and send out spam messages to your family and friends and also use your personal info to extort you.
Unexpected attachment
Scammers have gotten really sophisticated and if they access one of your associate’s email or social media accounts, and send out fake emails to all of the victim's contacts, they often include an attachment. This email will more often than not include an email or an attachment with a link to a fraudulent file-sharing website and tell you to download a file from there. If these files are downloaded, they can spread a destructive malware onto your computer and lock down all the legitimate files on your device and hold it as ransom.
Unexpected friend request
A scammer has the ability to clone a social media profile that belongs to a friend and add you. After confirming the request, the scamster has all access to your personal information and can use it to hack into your bank accounts, such as birthdays, parents’ names and even pets’ names. The con artists can also send out links filled with malware that could tempt you to click them demand money as a ransom.