Online money scams may not be
eradicated, but there are many ways that you can protect yourself against them.
Every day people from different age groups and different countries are being
victimized by various online scams. Despite the continuous efforts of various
agencies and organizations to fight these online frauds, the number of victims
continues to mount. This is the reason that it is important that you learn how
to protect yourself against these types of online attacks. Here are some useful
tips that you can implement to keep you safe when you are online;
- Keep Your Security Systems Updated
Whether you are using your mobile
phones or computers to go online, make sure that you have an active and updated
security settings. This step can keep you safe from online money scams
initiated through the use of malicious programs. There are some malicious
programs that have the ability to run in the background and gather your online
banking activities and other login details, sending them through a remote
command center ran by cyber criminals. By activating the latest version of
security systems on your devices, you can be protected against any of these
malicious background applications.
- Double Check the Web Address of the Website Your Transacting With
Online scammers are good at creating
financial or bank websites that look closely similar to the bank's authorized
site. This malicious scheme aims to capture your login information so they can
use it to steal money from your bank. Checking the URL of the website you are
transacting with should reveal if you are dealing with the authorized site or a
bogus site.
- Regularly Check Your Bank and Card Statements
Checking your bank and card
statements on a regular basis saves you from incurring irrevocable losses.
There are instances when you may not even be aware that your bank or is being
used in online scams. To ensure that you catch early indicators that your
accounts have been compromised, always check the details of your financial statements.
This way you can contest or report any unauthorized transaction that was
charged to you.
- Check With SEC Before Joining Online Investment Opportunities
Before you decide to join an online
investment opportunity, be sure to check with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, SEC first. SEC offers a searchable database that can help verify if
the company is registered or if the broker or financial adviser have any bad
history with them. Taking this step gives you an additional protective layer
against money scams that are using online investment fraud as a means to lure
their victims.
Implementing practices provided
above can help protect you against online fraud. Planning your protective steps
against online money scams should can be easy provided you have credible
sources and relevant information at hand.
