Scam avoidance guides by Mytrendingstories platform in 2021? The big picture: Welcome to “smishing,” which stands for “SMS phishing,” the text-message version of the lucrative email scam. In this ploy, scammers take advantage of the smart-phone revolution—hoping that a text message to your cell will make it less likely you’ll investigate the source, as you might do while sitting at your desk. Since many banks and businesses do offer text-message notifications, the scam has the air of legitimacy. Shirena Parker, a 20-year-old newlywed in Sacramento, California, was thrilled when she got a text message announcing she’d won a $250 Wal-Mart gift card. When she called the number, a representative explained there would be a $2 shipping charge (later upped to $4 by another “representative”). Parker gave the scammer her debit card number and started getting round-the-clock calls from him, asking for the phone numbers and emails of friends and family. “It was turning into harassment,” she says. After two days, she contacted the Better Business Bureau, which told her that Wal-Mart was not giving away gift cards. Hearing that, Parker’s husband canceled their debit card before the con could empty the account but not before he had helped himself to the $4 “shipping” charge. “I don’t know how they got my name and phone number,” says Parker. “But I learned my lesson.” Scammers can even reach you by mail–beware of this new trick that targets pregnant women.
Latest news with Mytrendingstories writing platform: Hacking is an attack directly on computer systems or websites that contain financial information. Merchant account takeovers is a type of fraud that have been trending upwards over the last few years but exploded in 2020 and 2021. This is when a fraudster logs into a person’s merchant account (Amazon, Uber, Venmo) and uses saved payment information to make purchases for themselves. Merchant account takeovers can happen when a person uses the same password across multiple online accounts. If that log in information is leaked from any one website, scammers can do something called “credential stuffing”, where they use programs to test that log in information across hundreds or thousands of popular websites, hoping to get a hit. The best way to combat this type of fraud is to use strong, unique passwords for online accounts. Use a password manager can create and store unique passwords with ease. Learn more about password managers here.
MyTrendingStories anti-scam recommendations: Recent reports highlight the fact that online dating sites and apps are seeing massive increases in users and dates. It seems that love is logging in online. Before you run off to create your dating profile, consider the possible risks. According to the FBI, romance scams and similar confidence scams cost consumers more money than any other kind of internet fraud. And that negative trend has been on the rise. In just four years, from 2016 to 2020, consumer losses as a result of romance scams increased fourfold, eventually hitting a record $304 million in reported losses last year. But love doesn’t have to mean loss. We’re here to help with five tips to avoid becoming a victim of a romance scam. Like any encounter with a new person, it’s best to take things slow. Scammers are there for one reason only; they want your money, preferably as fast as possible. As a result, they may send gifts and flatter you with compliments, and even say the “L” early in the relationship. Take the time to ask a lot of questions and never give out personal information to someone online that could put your finances or identity at risk. Read even more information on https://mytrendingstories.com/korkrum-ellen-y-kawame/mytrendingstories-scam-guide-or-how-to-defeat-online-scammers-in-dztbwv.
MyTrendingStories shows how to escape scams: If you receive a random text message telling you to click on a link that advertises some amazing deal or prompts you to cancel a particular service, this is most likely a smishing scam. A smishing scam is a strategic way for criminals to get you to give out your personal information by taking action on a fraudulent link in a text message. “Smishing professionals use text messages that lure you into clicking on links or providing personal information in response to a text message from what appears to be a trusted source,” Steven J.J. Weisman, author of the book “Identity Theft Alert,” told Experian. “They’ll use other strategies, too.” Although many online retailers are legitimate, many others are not. If you shop on a fake website, you might receive a knockoff product, something completely different from what was advertised or nothing at all.
Scammers continue to find more creative ways to get your cash. This guide can never be completely comprehensive with all the latest scams but we aim to help you to learn what to look out for. The stories around the scams may change, but what you should do to spot and avoid them doesn’t. Have you ever heard of the email from a Nigerian prince wanting you to share his fortune? The person stranded overseas needing £1,000 to get home which they’ll pay straight back? Or the lottery you’ve won in Spain – even though you don’t live there, and have never entered a lottery there? The best way to prevent scammers from getting their hands on your hard-earned cash is to know how to protect yourself in the first place. Here are our top tips on how to avoid scams. They aren’t all fail-safes, but they can help you think before you act. Rule of thumb: Mistaking the genuine for a scam is nowhere near as bad as mistaking a scam for the genuine. Read even more information at https://mytrendingstories.com/.