Avoid clicking suspicious or unverified links since they could be malware or phishing attacks. Also, you should not download apps that come from unverified sources. If you think that an email seems suspicious, then you should check its authenticity. Most often, we receive emails from relatives, friends, politicians, colleagues, financial institutions, or even strangers, tempting us to click on links. Although most of them come from trusted sources, however, some of them are from bad people impersonating reliable sources to convince you to click on their links. This is a common practice of online fraud. A link will be used as a way to access your device or information. Once you click the link, you will be immediately redirected to another website that will infect malware or other virus on your computer or steal your information.
How Does This Online Fraud Work?
It is important that you know what online fraud is and why it occurs. Online fraud occurs when these cybercriminals will impersonate trustworthy sources and make fictitious sense of urgency. Usually, a link will be attached to the mail or text and these fraudsters will convince you to update or verify your account information. If you click on the link, then you will be directed to a bogus website that has a bit of similarity of the original website. Afterward, you will be asked to fill out a form where you will be giving out your personal information. Unfortunately, this information can be used by cybercriminals in committing identity theft or financial fraud.
Keep in mind that these cybercriminals can monitor your activities online. And no matter what you do on the web, it says a lot of things about you. But you can keep your internet history private if you secure your browser with reliable VPN Chrome add-on. Cybercriminals can keep track of your online activities through your IP address. However, if you use a VPN to access the internet, then you can browse the internet freely using an encrypted connection.
What Could Occur If You Click Those Suspicious Links?
By clicking those suspicious links, cybercriminals can conduct phishing attacks by stealing your personal and financial information. Consequently, this information could be misused for financial fraud, identity theft, and other types of fraudulent activities. These bad actors can instantly gain access to your credentials and device. And most probably, they could use this information in accessing other accounts. These suspicious links can also be used by scammers to trick you into downloading malicious software so they can spy on you or take control of your device. These bad actors will conduct ransomware attacks by accessing your computer, encrypting your files and information, and then asking for some money in return. Using a RAT (Remote Administration Tool), cybercriminals can gain control of your entire device remotely, such as your microphone and camera.
How To Avoid Online Fraud?
You should never click any suspicious links that are sent to you via email or text. Avoid sharing financial or confidential information even if the request comes from a reliable source. You should verify this first. Never download suspicious links or open unrequested email attachments. Be sure to install the most reliable anti-virus software on your device and keep them updated always. In case you can sense red flags on the email, be sure to call the sender and check if they sent them. Be sure to follow the following tips to keep you safe while browsing the internet.
- You should not go to unknown websites and click on any links. Sometimes these websites will trick you into clicking those eye-catching clickbait links or give you unbelievable offers through social media networks. These links can likely get you in trouble.
- Keep yourself updated with the latest news in tech and scams. Most often, new scams will pop up every now and then so its best to check on this regularly. For instance, Google recently released Android security updates which can fix some flaws.
- Avoid opening attachments that come from someone you do not know. Most of the time, this contains ransomware or malware.
- Never click those strange links, Skype messages, or email even if they come from your relatives, friends, or colleagues. If you received them from your friend, then most probably their account has been hacked and clicking this link will get you in trouble.
- Keep in mind that if you use your device in connection to the internet, then it must be updated regularly. Be sure to update your antivirus software and operating system on all your devices.
- Run a virus scanner on all your devices regularly.
- Check other sources of web security as well. This can help you in staying safe while exploring the digital world.