Types of Online Scams

While the Internet has made many day-to-day activities more convenient and easier to fit into a busy schedule, it has also increased the ease with which fraud can take place. More and more online scams are appearing every day, but with a little knowledge and common sense, you can protect yourself from falling victim to one of the many scams out there.

Types of Online Scams

While there are at least 20 different types of online scams, here are five of the most common to watch out for:

There are two types of fraudulent link scams. In one case, when the link is clicked the victim is taken to a website and then asked to fill in specific personal information (phishing, see below). The other type of fraudulent link scam causes some type of malware or virus to be downloaded onto the user’s computer when the link is clicked. It is easy to disguise links, and fraudulent links are commonly found in unsolicited e-mails or on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.

Phishing is a method used to obtain personal information from the victim. In most cases, the scam targets banking or credit card information so that money can be stolen from the victim. While this may seem bad enough, some phishing scams have identity theft as the final goal. Phishing scams are usually initiated through an e-mail that impersonates a legitimate company and has the user click a link through to a site that looks like the official site. When the victim enters his/her information, it is stored by the scammer for future use. If you ever suspect a link, you should not click it directly, but go directly to the site yourself by typing in the web address of finding it using a search engine.

These types of scams are also referred to as Nigerian 419 scams and are used by some fake work-at-home sites. In this type of scam, the victim is asked to pay a certain amount of money so that a larger sum will be received in return. These scams may be sent via e-mail or through websites advertising a product or service that will make large amounts of money with little to no work. A good rule of thumb is if it seems too good to be true, it usually is.

In these types of scams, the person is sent a check or money order in payment for goods or services. This type of scam is also used with fake lottery winning scams and auction scams. In all cases, the victim is instructed to deposit the check to their account and then forward on a portion to the person sending the check. Reasons for sending money back may include an accidental overage, taxes, etc. In all cases, the check is a fake and will eventually bounce leaving the victim short of the money they had sent.

These scams are similar to fraudulent links scams in that the scammer sends out e-mails that impersonate a charitable organization. In the e-mail, donations are asked for and a link is included that can be clicked to fill in the relevant information on a website to make a donation. As with phishing scams, the goal behind charity scams may be just to take money from unknowing victims or to use the information they provide to steal their identity. As with all phishing type scams, you should never click suspect links but go directly to the site yourself.