Ever since the inception of the internet, cybercrime has become a vastly lucrative business for hackers, bots and other nefarious online criminals. This is even in spite all the advancements made in security like biometrics, and promising payment trends such as the blockchain. Not even all the money in the world from billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev can prevent such attacks. And that’s exactly why we have to be more vigilant about these schemes so that we can prevent it before it happens.
1. Free Trial Offer
There isn’t a moment in our online surfing lives where we aren’t blasted with a free trial offer. They can come in the form of antivirus programs, weight-loss programs, internet connectivity and so much more. But the word “free” always comes with a certain catch – you only have to pay for the shipping and the handling, which could be in a low price of $5.95.
But sadly, there’s a fine print that usually slip by the eyes of many – it could be because it’s in a color that blends into the background. These fine prints usually state that consumers are required to pay expensive monthly fees. Next thing you know, the $5.95 would then cost $99 per month once the free trial expires.
2. Phishing Scams
This has to be one of the oldest and some of the most prevalent scams there are today. These scams are when cybercriminals install malicious software onto your device after a user clicks on a link that they had received in an email or social message. This is done to trick users into sharing the login credentials of their bank account, work account, social account, or cloud storage provider. They can also steal your frequent flyer miles or health insurance.
3. Wi-Fi Danger Zone
We’ve all been to public places like the airport and the coffee shop, and willingly log into the local Wi-Fi zone. This login page resembles a free service or a pay service such as Boingo Wireless, and seems to be legit, so you join the network.
However, in some cases, there maybe a crook who’s actually mining your computer for your credit card, ebank, and other personal information. And that is why regtech is very crucial for financial institutions to implement.
4. In The Name Of Love
With a fair amount of people looking for love online, it only makes sense for scammers to use this as a way to scam unsuspecting people. As stated by the Federal Trade Commission, scammers create fake online profiles using photos of other people – even if they’re stolen pictures from actual military personnel. Then they would profess their love and then you a sob story that can only be resolved by sending them money.
5. Your Computer Is Infected
This one’s another timeless classic. You’re doing your usual online browsing until all of a sudden, a popup in what appears to be a legitimate-looking and sounding antivirus program shows up in front of you. It informs you straight up that your computer is infected and that t urges you to download its software in order to disinfect it. Moved by this, you click the link and now the malicious software is scanning your computer for login information.
In some cases the software offers to scan your computer for a fee, but of course, this doesn’t happen. Instead, the cybercriminal now has your credit card information.
6. Ransomware
As the name suggests, ransomware is a form of malware, that works by either holding your computer hostage or by blocking access to all of your computer’s files by encrypting them. People whose computer is infected with ransomware is typically ordered (through a pop-in window) to pay anything between a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars in order to get the key that unlocks their encrypted data.