Date Posted: 11/27/2013 12:14:40 AM
Posted By: Wishstar Membership Level: Gold Total Points: 7507
The internet is undoubtedly the most used resource in the technological world of today. While some people use it to improve on their lives, some are out there to use other people for selfish gain. A while back, when the internet was still in its development stage, it was quite safe. Nowadays, as most people access the internet, con artists have emerged. Long are the days when the streets carried the most tactful conmen as today, the internet houses these kind of people. From scam emails to fake online opportunities, we see how important it is to ensure safety while accessing the internet. The internet has a lot of benefits to the world today but we cannot hide the fact that it has opened a portal for some selfish people to con others.They do this in various ways and it is beneficial for you to know these methods so that you can prevent such acts from occurring. Ways in which conmen steal from the online community. 1. Through scam emails Have you ever got an email from people mostly from west Africa claiming to be in dire need of help? Most send beautiful photographs, and mostly of young girls so as to attract many people. These "young girls" claim to be from refugee camps and that they are orphans. They further go on to claim that their parents died and left them a big fortune which they can't access unless they are assisted by somebody. They then come to you for this assistance but in the real sense, they are out to get something from you. Mostly, they are interested in your bank details. Why can you trust them and they trust you back when it is actually the first time that you have met, and to make it worse online! Don't send your bank details to such kind of people lest you become a victim of online scams. You may end up losing a lot of money in the end of it all. 2. Through fake opportunities As the popularity of the internet has increased, so are the opportunities that it presents to people. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to find people working online and for some this is their only sustaining job. Such opportunities present a lot of people with benefits as they can work at the comfort of whatever place they are in and at times whatever time they like. With such kind of benefits, many people would like to get a job with stable income that can be done online. This has resulted to some ill thinking people to come up with fake opportunities to try to con unknowing victims. Most of these kind of opportunities require one to pay out some amount of money before they can participate. In the end, all your money may be gone just like that. Besides this, such opportunities claim to offer a lot of cash by doing something little. Take care and ensure that you don't send your money to sites that you don't know and trust. And also, know that nothing comes easy even if its in the online world. You just have to work hard. If the deal is to good then think twice! 3. Through fake advertisements People have now started to accept online advertisements. Various kind of advertisements are available and can be easily seen on the numerous websites that we have today. Also, some people prefer to advertise using emails. Though most advertisements are genuine and display what they truly offer, some don't really offer what they claim to. At one time or another, have you accessed a website and seen an advertisement that claimed you have won an iPod or something like that? After you click on this advertisement, you are prompted to enter something like your mobile phone number? If you happen to give out your phone number then you will have subscribed to some form of premium rate services and you will be receiving SMSs at a cost. They are many more other such kind of advertisements that require different things from you. Some will require you to register on their site to claim your price, some will require you to enter your email and so on but in the end, the prize is not actually there! Make sure that you avoid sending your information to something you didn't participate in. 4. Through classifieds websites Classifieds websites have enabled people to find an easier and convenient way to buy and sell their stuff. The emergence of such websites as OLX, pigia me, uzanunua and many more others proves this. Despite them being beneficial, to some extent they may not be to some people at one time or another. You see, some people claim to sell what they actually don't have. They just download a picture from the internet and put it on the classifieds site, describe it a little bit and then set the price. When you call or communicate with them, they ask you to send money first and then after, they will send you the thing that you want. You may just have been conned! Please, ensure that you have a glimpse of the actual thing and that it is actually a genuine thing before you send your money. 5. Through fake competitions. A lot of competitions have emerged online and its a shame to realize that a good number of them are fake. At times, one is even told that he has won in a competition he has never participated in! How could this be? Have you ever seen a competition which you register and in the end you are redirected to some other sites? Let alone that! Have you ever been asked to pay some money to claim your price? Don' do such. If you have won, then it is the obligation of the competition organizers to ensure that you get the price without having to charge you a single cent. Be keen, be safe. Don't be conned online.
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