MyTrendingStories brings tips about protecting yourself from online scam today? Travel scams (Don’t get wander-lost): How it works: You get an email advertising an amazing deal on airline tickets to some exotic destination. Or, you see such a deal on the social media account of what appears to be a legitimate airline. What’s really going on: Like the “free trial” scam, these travel scams often have all sorts of extra costs hidden in the fine print behind that alluring cheap price. Most likely, you’ll end up with a lighter wallet and no plane ticket. The big picture: The peak time for these kinds of online scams is summertime, when people have vacation on the brain. They’re also common right before holidays such as Christmas and New Years. Scammers intentionally choose exotic, remote places that would be difficult to get to without their “amazing offer.” Finally, they throw in an expiration date, saying that you’ve only got so many weeks or months to take advantage of this offer, hoping that a sense of urgency will rope you in. Avoidance maneuver: Scour the details of the offer before clicking any sort of confirmation button, and certainly before giving any payment information. Make sure that what you see really is what you get. And, even if you crave a solo trip, it can’t hurt to get a second pair of eyes as well. Another good tip is just to stick to travel agencies you trust; there are plenty of legitimate sites that still offer good deals. Finally, learning these cyber security secrets hackers don’t want you to know will help you stay one step ahead of scammers.
Trending news by Mytrendingstories online platform: Use Google to research the company. Search by the company name to see what information you can find. (If the company won’t give you a name, don’t bother applying.) Take it one step further and search by “company name scam” to see if you can find information about reported scams. Get the Job Details: If it isn’t listed in the job posting, try to find out if there’s a salary or if you’re paid on commission. Ask how much you’re paid, how often you are paid, and how you are paid. If the company doesn’t pay an hourly rate or a salary, carefully investigate the details. Check with organizations like the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission to see if the company has been reported as a scammer. If the company is a fraud, another job seeker may have reported them. Find even more details on https://mytrendingstories.com/bailey-edward/how-to-protect-yourself-against-internet-scams-ejodcx.
mytrendingstories.com anti-scam guides: First, don’t trust the messenger, no matter who they say they are or what it says on caller ID. Do not act immediately. Break the contact and take a 10-minute breather. Get some water. Scammers often push “secrecy,” so talk to someone you’re sure is likely to remain calm. Think about your options to independently verify any alarming message. Google is a great scam-confirmation tool. Your local police and your bank are also resources for you in a moment like this. Call them on phone numbers you personally get from their official websites. Find out what you’re really dealing with and then your next steps will become clear — especially if it’s a scam. If your “prior preparation” saves you from falling for a scam, spread the word. Tell others what happened and help them learn how to prepare to save themselves too.
Mytrendingstories.com discuss how to defeat scams: An “About Us” or “Contact Us” section can help build a retailer’s transparency and trustworthiness. If you have doubts about a website’s authenticity or you’re concerned about a scam attempt, make sure to confirm the retailer has an available line of communication with its customers. By doing your own research and comparing websites, you’ll get a sense of the average cost of a product available in the marketplace. Price comparison gives you the best chance to figure out if a deal is legitimate or just a bunch of fluff. By not researching, you could get stuck overpaying for an item you want or potentially giving in to a fraudulent deal. Although you might not always want to pay with your credit card, doing so can help you track fraudulent activity quickly and avoid other online shopping mistakes. It’s wise to regularly check your account balances and credit card account activity so that you can detect any unusual expenditures and unauthorized purchases. If you do, report it immediately. Read more information at Mytrendingstories.
Fake calls from someone pretending to be from the Financial Ombudsman Service asking for personal financial details. The ombudsman will never call you out of the blue to ask for information – it’ll only be in touch if you’ve got a case with it already. You can find out more about financial scams on the Financial Conduct Authority’s website or for scams in general, see the Metropolitan Police’s Little Book of Big Scams, or the Citizens Advice website. Web security has come to the fore in recent years with major hacks resulting in millions of users’ account details and sensitive info being put at risk. Fortunately there’s a quick, free and easy way to check if your details have been compromised. The website HaveIBeenPwned? (‘pwned’ is geek-speak for being made a fool of – it’s pronounced ‘poned’) allows anyone to check if their accounts have been compromised in a number of known data breaches in recent times. Go to HaveIBeenPwned? and enter your email address. Enter the address you use at any sites you’re concerned may have been hacked – for example, the one you usually log in to LinkedIn with. It’ll tell you if your account’s been compromised. You’ll be shown a list of breaches you were ‘pwned’ in, with some background info on the hack, plus what data was compromised – eg, email address, password, date of birth, etc.