What is a Phishing Scam?

Now that we have the Internet, we have the ability to contact anyone anywhere in the world. Because of this ability, fraudsters have been quick to exploit people with a abundance of phishing scams that are designed to deceive and catch their victims.

Phishing scam is a term for a wide range of tactics used online to try and get personal information, such as usernames, addresses, credit cards, etc., from unsuspecting users.

Phishing scams are constantly changing and evolving. Just when you think you have an idea of what to look out for, along comes a new scam that tricks hundreds or even thousands of innocent people. You have to keep up with the latest scams going around, so here are some of the latest phishing scams that can show up on your screen.

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Phishing Examples:

Send Help

There was a post I saw about a Nigerian Astronaut who is stuck in space. Seriously? He’s supposedly been in space for the last 25 years and he needs is $3million to get back to earth. I can see how this would be touching and how someone would want to help, but this is rediculous. This is a REAL email that was sent to a British magazine. Some phishing scams are obviously easier to spot than others.

The Fake Boss

Another scam I have seen is the ‘fake boss’ fraud. Unfortunately, this scam is a lot more convincing than the Nigerian astronaut one, and has defrauded a business of more than $100,000. Here’s how it works…

A fraudster contacts the accountant of a business by calling them early in the morning, and explaining that he/she needs to make a substantial money transfer on behalf of the owner of the company as part of a confidential transfer. The accountant then receives an email, allegedly from the CEO of the company, confirming the details of the transaction.

The accountant is told that the transaction is going to be used to fund the purchase of a foreign business, and the transfer must be done before the purchase can go through. Unfortunately, the money goes straight into the account of a fraudster who is never heard from again!

Emails From Popular Businesses

Over the past couple years, there have been a huge increase in the number of emails people receive from companies we deal with everyday. Many of these emails go into our ‘junk’ or ‘spam’ folders, but a good amount slip through and they seem real and believable. Be extremely careful.

Customers of Payday Loans Company

In Wonga South Africa there was a recent scam like this, and many people were duped into sending the fraudsters bank details and other personal information. The company that was scammed helped spread awareness for it and gave the victims a voice.
 But even though there is increased awareness, there are still many victims of this type of scam.

Final Thought

The only way to stay safe is to never click on a link in an email, and don’t send sensitive personal information through email. If you are looking for a way to make money from home while working online, you need to check out my #1 recommended program ! It is free to join and you can have all the help you need.

If you have any questions or have had experience with phishing scams, please leave a comment below!

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Karissa