Check out this video below to learn the 10 most common internet scams to watch out for.
There is no shortage of people out there who would just love to take your hard-earned money – and it seems like they’re always getting more and more clever. There are going to be variations for all of these internet scams, but it’s important to know the basics behind each scam so you can watch out for them.
Most Common Internet Scams
- Phishing: A scam that tries to trick you into giving them your password, almost always by sending you a fake login page to a trusted website.
- Hitman Scam: A message from someone claiming to be a hitman but will spare your life if you send them money.
- Scareware: A pop-up or something similar telling you that you have a computer virus and need to purchase something to fix it.
- Ransomware: A virus will encrypt your computer and lock away your files and make you pay to unlock them.
- Curiosity Scams: A message on social media, email, or text that says it has photos or videos of you or a greeting card along with a link.
- Binary Options: Scam websites that disguise themselves as “investing websites” where you bet money on whether a certain stock will go up or down.
- Fake Job Listings: You are told you’ve been accepted for a job and the “employer” provides a fake check to purchase supplies, then asks you to send them back some of the money.
- General Fake Emails: Attention-grabbing emails (“You received a payment!” or “Here’s your refund”) to get you to click on a link.
- Social Media “Free Stuff:” Posts/ads on social media telling you that, if you share a post, you’ll get something for free.
- 419 Scam: Scams where you receive an email claiming that you’ve won money or something similar and you need to pay a small fee to get it.
Become a more informed and savvy investor with our “Check Before You Invest” checklist.