GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - With more and more consumers making use of the internet to do online shopping and business, it is important to be alert to signs of possible fraud.
It is noticeable when looking at reported fraud cases, that consumers are still being misled and defrauded on a large scale by these cyber criminals. Scammers do not discriminate and will target people of all backgrounds, ages and income levels.
Warrant Officer Morné D'Emiljo of Stilbaai Police gave the following tips that might just prevent you from becoming a victim in another scam.
Internet fraud
Protect yourself by:
- Never buying from sellers with poor ratings;
- Being wary of sellers who ask you to send funds;
- Internationally only making purchases through a reputable website and/or company.
Emergency scams
This scam typically involves a person who receives a phone call from a scammer, claiming to be a person in trouble needing money immediately. The caller indicates they have been in an accident and is having trouble returning from a foreign country, or any other type of bogus story.
Consumers should:
- Never send money to anyone they don't know and trust;
- Verify the story with the person's parent or friends;
- Ask the person on the phone questions only their loved one would know how to answer.
Romance scams
These scams involve dating and romance websites, where the scammer will try to defraud a person by sending emails with talk of need, love and/or desire.
Individuals should:
- Use legitimate and reputable dating websites;
- Never provide personal information or details about banking accounts when chatting online;
- Be concerned about someone who declares their love after only a few letters or emails.
Targeted computer crimes
Cyber criminals also target employees and individuals and cause the individuals to spread malicious software or malware to steal log-in credentials. Then they are able to remotely log in and complete unauthorised transactions.
To protect yourself:
- Don't respond to or open attachments or click on links in unsolicited emails;
- Be wary of pop-up messages claiming your machine is infected and offering software to scan and fix the problem;
- Log/turn off computers when not in use;
- Install and maintain real-time anti-virus and anti-spyware desktop firewall and malware detection and removal software.
Remember
Banking institutions will never call clients and ask them to perform a money transfer of any kind.
- Never do a transaction for anyone without first having cash in hand.
- Do not perform any transactions initiated over the phone.
- Never share your log-in and PIN information with anyone.
"We strongly urge every person to continue to be vigilant about suspicious activities. If you suspect fraud, do not complete the transaction," said D'Emiljo.
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