How to prevent online scams: The Internet has literally revolutionized our lives. Nowadays we use the Web to do practically everything: order food at home, organize trips, check the current account, rent holiday homes, buy products and the list could go on and on. As it is convenient and usually convenient to use the online services that allow you to perform all these activities, it must be remembered that even in the world of the Web it is possible to encounter some scam attempts.
Fortunately for prevent online scams just use a little common sense and a few small tips. Which? Take a few minutes of your free time and let me explain it to you. If you want, in the next paragraphs I will give you general advice thanks to which you can avoid taking some false steps that, unfortunately, are committed every day by many users who then end up in the hands of online scammers.
I intrigued you and now would you like to deepen the topic? Fantastic! Make yourself comfortable, take all the time you need to focus on reading this guide and, more importantly, implement the “tips” that I will give you. I wish you a good read and I wish you a big good luck for your online safety!
Be careful of suspicious emails
Be careful of suspicious emails it is one of the first things you should do to prevent online scams and, in this case, the phenomenon of phishing. Often, in fact, scammers send emails to their potential victims in which links are contained: if the user clicks on them, he is sent back to websites created ad hoc by the scammers, in which he is asked to insert data concerning his credit card, your social accounts or your home banking service (perhaps with the usual excuse of resetting your password for “security” issues). If the user falls into the trap, he “collaborates” (unconsciously) with the criminal by providing him with the data the latter seeks.
Are you wondering how you can avoid falling victim to phishing? Just ignore the suspicious emails (often characterized by a somewhat uncertain grammar and the presence of “strange” requests, such as the invitation to click on a link, in fact) and do not click on the links contained within them. Remember that e-commerce sites, social networks and credit institutions never send emails of this type to reset their access data or to confirm other personal information (if not behind a request from the user same).
If you’ve recently received a large number of suspicious emails, try block unwanted emails it’s at fight spam following the “tips” contained in the tutorials that I have dedicated to this topic. In these insights you will find, for example, useful tips on the use of spam filters and temporary emails (Eg. tempinbox, AirMail or Mailinator): treasure it!
Rely on secure web portals
Whether you’re shopping online or looking for a house to rent, it’s important rely on secure web portals in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. How can you recognize a secure website from a less reliable website?
Well, for example, you can check that the web portal from which you intend to make a purchase or book a hotel uses the protocol HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer), which indicates the presence of a secure connection (you can check this information from the search bar on the browser, in which a padlock should be shown). In addition to that, you can check the so-called “Web Reputation“Of a website trying to search on a search engine (Eg. Google or Bing) reviews from other users who may have already dealt with it.
What if from your searches you can’t find any feedback – not even negative – on the portal you’re looking for? Well, if in doubt, it is better to avoid engaging in some potentially dangerous “adventure”. The advice I give you is to rely on notoriously reliable Web portals when you do Online shopping (Eg. Amazon, eBay, ePRICE, etc.), when you search on ad sites (Eg. Subito.it, Kijiji, etc.), when you search houses for rent or book holidays online (Eg. Immobiliare.it, Idealista.it, Airbnb, casevacanza, Expedia, Momondo, etc.).
Check the reliability of the information
Obviously, relying on secure web portals is not enough to prevent online scams, you must also verify the reliability of the information published in the various advertisements. How can you do it? I’ll give you a couple of practical examples, so that we can understand each other better.
Let’s say you are making an online purchase and want to check the information in an advertisement. You can do this in at least three ways: 1) by analyzing the feedback released by other users; 2) by comparing the price published in the advertisement with the prices present on other ads or on other online stores (usually an unjustifiably low price hides a scam) and 3) paying attention to any “strange” requests made by the seller, like that of close thedeal outside the online store, perhaps at a more “advantageous” price.
Let’s take another example. are looking for a house for rent and you want to check the truthfulness of the information in the ad. How can you do it? You can verify that the contact details provided by the (alleged) home owner are actually his by calling the number indicated in the ad and perhaps also using some online service (such as ChiChiama, tellows, etc.) for trace the person’s name from the telephone number: if from your “investigations” you discover that there are inconsistencies, it is very likely that you are facing a scam. You can also go to the place (if you can do it) to check the real availability of the apartment and / or find some feedback using Google Maps or other online services.
Never trust everything that is written in the ad. Use some healthy critical sense and check always that what the advertiser has said is proven by tangible evidence. As they say, prudence is never too much!
Use secure payment methods
Another trick you can take to prevent online scams is to use secure payment methods, like the prepaid cards, i bank transfers and even better, payment through the account PayPal.
Why do you recommend preferring PayPal to all other payment methods? Well, first of all because this payment system allows you to transfer money without providing the bank details of your current account or your credit card number (thus avoiding being cloned) and it’s also a quick and easy way to make online transitions.
More importantly, by making payments via PayPal account, you can join the PayPal program for the protection of the buyer, which allows you to receive a refund of the full amount of a purchase made (shipping costs included) if problems arise (e.g. the product does not comply with the description made in the ad, it shows signs of wear or damage not indicated by the seller , is not delivered at all, etc.). For more details about the PayPal Program for the protection of the buyer, read the in-depth analysis in which I explain in detail what is PayPal and also visit the PayPal website.
If for one reason or another you cannot use PayPal, make purchases by bank or postal transfer; do not make payments through Postepay refills or with Western Union because you risk “throw the hoe on your feet“, as they say. I got it?
Other useful tips
In addition to the “tips” that I have given you in the previous paragraphs, there are other useful tips to prevent online scams. I am sure they will be of great help to you.
- Use common sense – whatever the activity you are doing on the Web (buying a product, organizing a holiday, booking a restaurant, etc.), using common sense will allow you to avoid being fooled by the scammer on duty. Therefore, never agree to “strange” requests (eg pay the deposit before seeing the house you found on an ad site) because they surely hide a scam.
- Beware of counterfeit products – the phenomenon of counterfeiting has existed for a very long time, well before online stores were born; the web simply amplified an existing problem. To avoid falling victim to it, be wary of branded products sold at inexplicably low prices (e.g. designer bags, high-end smartphones, etc.) because if an offer is “too good to be true“, Apparently it is not.
- Check the balance of your checking account and your credit card – if you have this good habit you will immediately notice any “suspicious” movements and you can block them before it is too late. Some lenders send SMS and other alerts when transitions are made and still offer other solutions to tackle online scams. Try asking your lender if such measures can be taken, and if so, use them.
- Compare multiple offers – are you looking for a flight? Are you considering purchasing a product? Are you going to book a hotel? “Hearing more bells” will not only allow you to find the best offer, but also to find out any “suspicious” prices and thus avoid any scams.