Protect yourself from online scam tricks by Mytrendingstories.com writing platform? Hitman scam (This one’s killer): How it works: You get an email (or a text) from someone saying he’s been hired to kill you, or to kidnap a family member. He’ll insist you send a large amount of money to a certain email address in exchange for your safety. Usually, the email will also warn you against contacting the authorities. What’s really going on: There is no assassin. Somebody found your email address randomly (along with hundreds of others) and just wants your money. The big picture: Your first thought might be to wonder how anyone could possibly fall for this. But keep in mind that the first response of anyone who’s just been threatened with murder online is, most likely, to panic. Even scarier, many of these scams include the victim’s personal information, which is all too easy to access through social media. Avoidance maneuver: If you get one of these scary messages, the best thing to do is to ignore it. Responding to the scammer clues them in that they have reached a live account, and they’ll probably respond with more aggressive threats. No one wants that. Also, go ahead and contact the authorities; the better to stop the scammer in his tracks. To avoid being scammed, be careful about what you share on social media—there are some pieces of information you should definitely not be posting.
News with Mytrendingstories online publishing: Where to Turn for Help? If you’ve become the victim of a fake check scams, there are certain steps you should take right away. Stop Further Losses. Start by locking or closing accounts that may have been compromised. Place a fraud alert and consider freezing your credit. Visit com or call (877) 322-8228 to request your free credit report from each of the credit reporting agencies. Change your passwords if applicable. Keep Records. Take and keep notes — details could be important if recovery is an option. And contact your local police. They may not be able to investigate, but having a report may help with future claims. File Reports. You’ll want to alert the appropriate authorities that you’ve been scammed. Start with: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Identity Protection Unit (800) 908-4490; The Internet Crime Complaint Center (a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center); The U.S. Postal Inspections Service (if the check arrived by U.S. mail).
Mytrendingstories anti-scam recommendations: The first time, he was going to send the email to his web person in case a photo had been innocently misused. But first he had the idea to Google “professional photographer email scam.” Millions of Google results confirmed that it was, in fact, a scam. Reassured and relieved, he deleted the scam email and didn’t even bother to reach out to his web person. When a very similar email arrived a few months later and then again the other day, he knew what it was and just hit “delete.” Recently a couple in Hingham lost $17,000 to a scammer claiming to be the chief of police. They believed the call was genuine because the police department’s main business number showed on their caller ID. They became overcome with fear so quickly that they followed the scammer’s orders to the letter. The Hingham police were so sorry about what happened to this couple. They strongly urged people to not rely on caller ID “since it can be altered to display any name or telephone number.” That is 100 percent true. See extra information on https://mytrendingstories.com/harjinder-surjeet/protect-seniors-against-cybercrimes-and-scams-dazcgi.
MyTrendingStories shows how to defeat scams: Beware of clicking on coupons from social media. If the coupon comes from the retailer’s official social media page, then you should be in the clear. But other times, fake coupons surface on social media pages that claim to be affiliated with retailers. For example, say you stumble onto a deal at Ross that isn’t promoted on any of Ross’ official media platforms. Instead of assuming that the deal is an inside scoop, contact your local Ross or try to track down the deal on Ross’ official website. Otherwise, you’re vulnerable to malware attacks. When you’re browsing the clearance section online, pay extra attention to final sale items. Final sale doesn’t always mean final prices, according to Consumerist. In fact, retailers will sometimes mark down the prices of their final sale items.
WARNING: The coronavirus pandemic has seen a rise in scams. There has been an increase in criminals looking to exploit financial and health concerns by asking for money for fake services upfront, collecting personal information or bank details, or offering temptingly high returns on made-up investments or pension transfers. For full information see our blog on coronavirus scams to look out for and how to protect yourself. Scams are fraudulent schemes that dupe people into parting with their personal details and/or cash. They’ve been around for as long as we can remember, but they’re no longer confined to shady door-to-door salesmen or dodgy second-hand car dealers. Discover more info on Mytrendingstories.