Beware of These 5 Most Common Types of Internet Fraud

Why do you need to beware of these 5 most common types of internet fraud? Whenever you have the opportunity to protect yourself online, you should take it. The cyber world is so vast and expansive, it’s quite easy for the internet to chew you up and spit you out. The more you know, the less likely you will fall prey to fraudulent activity. Let's discuss why you should beware of these 5 common types of internet fraud.

Phishing

The #1 type of internet fraud is phishing. What does it mean? Phishing is the collection of personal information through emails or websites that claim to be legitimate. This activity often results in identity theft and financial loss. In this type of internet fraud, your valuable passwords and credit card numbers are at risk of being revealed or stolen. Did you know that phishing occurrences nearly doubled from 2019 (114,702) to 2020 (241,324)? Who knows what it will be like at the end of this year. Whenever you receive an email, always check the actual email address, not just the name on the email. If the actual email address doesn’t match the name, don’t bother responding to it. You can even tag it to spam so that you don’t get emails from that sender again.

Spoofing

Spoofing is when a communication from an unknown source is disguised as being a known and trusted source. For example, if you receive an email from a false sender address that asks for sensitive information, beware. This would be considered spoofing. Are you aware that 3.1 billion domain spoofing emails are sent per day? Also, 90% of cyber attacks start from a single email. The lesson here is to never underestimate the power of an email. If you aren’t familiar with the company the email is coming from, research it online. Read reviews and get a feel of what other people are experiencing.

Spyware

Another form of internet fraud is spyware. If you think you are having a spyware problem, it will deal with your hard drive. This program is loaded to your computer without you even knowing! Scary. Essentially, spyware appears to be a legitimate application, but it embeds itself into your computer to collect your information. Sometimes, the things we can’t see can hurt us the most.

Viruses

You know how the common cold can spread easily? So can computer viruses. The scariest part of getting a virus on your computer is all the replicating that takes place right before your eyes. In a matter of seconds, you see one screen turn into dozens. In a nutshell, viruses are like the cancer-equivalent to a computer. The replication is so rapid that your computer doesn’t have time to save itself. Before you click on a site that you aren’t familiar with (reminder: curiosity killed the cat), consider that a virus could render your computer useless. Sometimes, the things we can’t see can hurt us the most.

Pop-up Windows

Pop-up windows look like harmless notifications. But if you didn’t purposefully subscribe to the site you are getting the notification from, don’t click on it. Moreover, if the pop-up window asks you for personal information, don’t be fooled. It is easy to just fill out your information without thinking nowadays. Every site you go to seems to ask you for something. Either you are setting up an account, filling out a form or creating a profile. It can put you in a zombie state of typing. The key takeaway here is to avoid filling out your information on pop-ups you don’t recognize. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Overall, these tips were compiled to help you navigate the internet safely. Now that you are familiar with these 5 types of internet fraud, you will be able to spot an internet fraud before it takes advantage of you. 

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