{"id":705,"date":"2020-12-15T16:35:16","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T16:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.epictouch.com\/blog\/?p=705"},"modified":"2020-12-15T16:35:18","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T16:35:18","slug":"avoiding-online-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.epictouch.com\/blog\/avoiding-online-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoiding Online Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It\u2019s holiday time again! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Internet fraudsters are coming out in droves to\ntake advantage of the seasonal uptick in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/how-to\/black-friday-scams-you-need-to-avoid-today\/\">web\ntraffic and online spending<\/a>. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.creditcards.com\/credit-card-news\/holiday-shopping-poll-2020\/\">Creditcards.com<\/a>, a staggering 71 percent of Americans plan to do most of their\nChristmas shopping online, which means scammers are ramping up for a field day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be sure to rely on your fast, dependable\ninternet service from {insert brand here} to learn more about this year\u2019s\nseasonal scams and learn safety tips to help you separate the naughty from the\nnice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Go Phish<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Busy people get emails all the time. You tend to\nlose track of which ones are legitimate and which ones are simply posers. Even\nemails that seem to come from a familiar person or business can house a scam\nlink. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re ever in doubt, mouse over the link\nwithout clicking. If the hyperlink doesn\u2019t match the sender, it\u2019s likely a\nscam.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Phishing emails are among the most prevalent\nscams out there, and they come in every shape and form. Fortunately, excellent\nresources exist to help <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumer.ftc.gov\/articles\/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams\">spot\na phishing scam<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Playing on Emotion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2019\/04\/18\/nigerian-prince-scams-still-rake-in-over-700000-dollars-a-year.html#:~:text=Also%20called%20%E2%80%9CNigerian%20letter%E2%80%9D%20scams,the%20country%20without%20your%20help.\">Nigerian\nPrince<\/a> scam? While that one is easy to spot, new\ntactics are much savvier and subtle. Scammers tend to prey on moments of\nweakness, fear and uncertainty, which they easily create with made-up\nhigh-stakes scenarios meant to play on intense emotions. The message often\ncalls for immediate action, forcing you to make a dangerous snap decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of these include the R<a href=\"https:\/\/www.snbonline.com\/about\/news\/gift-card-hoax-secret-shopper-scam-and-other-types-of-holiday-fraud\">elative\nImposter Scam<\/a>. These messages target vulnerable\nseniors, posing as a family member in need of urgent financial assistance. It\ncan be done by phone or email, and it is insidious because it plays on\nrecipients\u2019 compassion. Beware of anything that calls for swift action or \u2018emergency\u2019\nemails from your bank. Emotional manipulation can also appear as a fraudulent\ncharity soliciting donations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Too Good to Be True<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buyers everywhere are on the hunt for the best\nbargains at the holidays, which means that online grifters are also looking to\nrake in the rewards. You\u2019ve probably heard about someone or something \u2018too good\nto be true?\u2019 Well, the same applies to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scamwatch.gov.au\/types-of-scams\/buying-or-selling\/online-shopping-scams\">internet\nshopping schemes<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We frequently see this in the form of insanely\ndiscounted prices for hot items online, especially for the kinds of things that\nhave no business being that cheap. They manifest as fake vouchers, fake links,\nfake ads or even counterfeit websites. Check and double-check to be sure you\nknow what you\u2019re buying into. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pyramid Schemes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pyramid schemes are still a thing! In fact,\nthey\u2019re back with a vengeance. One scheme getting major traction this Christmas\nseason is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbb.org\/article\/scams\/18854-bbb-warning-secret-sister-gift-exchange-is-illegal\">Secret\nSister gift exchange<\/a>. This particular scam has\nbeen around for years, but it keeps resurfacing to bamboozle more aspiring\n\u201csecret sisters.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The scam involves buying a gift and shipping it\nto an anonymous \u201csister,\u201d which means sharing your private information with\nsomeone you\u2019ve never met. Be on the lookout for anything that involves giving\nout your personal information, such as your email, home address or\nbirthday.&nbsp; And be especially aware of\nonline altruists \u2013 they\u2019re rarely what they seem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The single connecting factor is that they\u2019re\nafter your money, personal data or both. Be smart and protect yourself this\nholiday; if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s holiday time again! Internet fraudsters are coming out in droves to take advantage of the seasonal uptick in web traffic and online spending. According to Creditcards.com, a staggering 71 percent of Americans plan to do most of their Christmas shopping online, which means scammers are ramping up for a field day. Be sure to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":708,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sercurity","category-uncategorized","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Avoiding Online Scams<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Avoid These Online Scams!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"EPICTOUCH \u2013 Fast. Local. 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