In an age where our lives are more digital than ever, staying safe online is essential. With the rise of social media platforms like Facebook and the increase in texting, scammers are finding new ways to take advantage of unsuspecting users. Additionally, the emergence of AI-generated content adds a new layer of complexity to staying safe on the web. This guide will equip you with the knowledge and tools to navigate the digital landscape securely, helping you spot scams and protect yourself from deception.
I spoke with a lovely customer on the phone yesterday who informed me she had been scammed and had her identity stolen. I decided to create this blog post to help protect and inform our community.
Understanding Online Scams
Online scams take many forms, including phishing emails, fake social media messages, and deceptive text messages and phone calls. Scammers often use tactics designed to create a sense of urgency or fear, prompting victims to act quickly without careful thought.
Phishing, for instance, tricks individuals into revealing personal information, like passwords or bank account details. In fact, the Anti-Phishing Working Group reported that over 1.5 million phishing sites were created in 2022. Scammers often impersonate trusted entities, making detection difficult. Recognizing these tactics is crucial for your online safety.
Common Types of Scams:
Social Media Scams: Fake profiles that mimic your friends can be highly convincing. They may claim to offer financial support, contest winnings, or investment opportunities. A report from the Federal Trade Commission indicated that social media scams resulted in losses of over $770 million in 2022.
Text Message and Phone Call Scams: Scammers often send messages claiming to be from banks or government entities, asking you to click a link or share sensitive information.
AI-Generated Content: As technology advances, scammers utilise AI to create believable fake content. This can include fraudulent emails, fake websites, or deceptive social media profiles, all designed to lure victims into providing their personal information.
Keeping Safe on Social Media:
Spotting Scammers on Facebook
Facebook is an excellent platform for connecting with friends, but it is also a common breeding ground for scams. Here are some strategies to keep yourself safe:
Monitor Friend Requests
As a rule of thumb, don't accept friend requests from anyone, period. And lock your profile.
Unless you know them, even if you do, reach out to their old profile or via phone to check that it is actually them. All it takes is for one scammer to create a fake profile of a friend, and then they can easily scam all the friends on the real profile's friends list.
Recommended Action: Never accept friend requests from people you don't know, especially from a friend you know with a new profile. You can engage with many people on Facebook without actually being their friend.
Watch for Suspicious Messages
If a "friend" sends you a message claiming they are in trouble or offering an opportunity that seems too good to be true, it probably isn't true. Try contacting them through other means, like a phone call or asking a mutual friend to confirm the message.
Recommended Action: Ignore suspicious messages like this and delete them (don't open them; delete them). The truth is, you have too much quilting to do anyway. Plus, you've spent your whole life helping everyone. The only people who need your help will probably ask you in person, like your family or closest friends.
Be Skeptical of Ads and Promotions
Facebook ads claiming you’ve won a prize or can make easy money often lead to scams. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Before engaging, verify claims by searching for reviews or consulting trustworthy groups.
Another is Facebook pages stealing content and having websites with cheap quilting notions for sale. These websites are generally scams, and they will take your personal details. Always Google if a website is legitimate before buying.
Recommended Action: Buy your products from reputable stores or websites like Amazon. If you see something you like, google the legitimacy of the business. Reddit is a surprisingly good platform for finding out if something is legit.
Here is an example of how I almost got scammed online recently.
I was searching for a new cabinet and wanted a mid-century modern vibe.
So I googled it and was surprised by all the great and cheap results that came up.
This product was advertised on Google with a paid promotional post. So, it seems legitimate. I honestly couldn't believe how great this website was. It was affordable, took multiple payment methods, had many fact pages, and had legitimate-looking reviews on Trustpilot. So, on first look, it was legit.
However, the prices were rather low for a product made with "real wood," so I did a quick Google search. Many results came up about how this business sends damaged products months after orders are placed or doesn't send orders at all. Customers reported contacting LiftFad but received no replies.
It wasn't just one post, but numerous Google results and dedicated Instagram pages discussing how Liftfad manipulates their online rating to scam people into buying something on their website.
Why would they do this, you ask?
It's easy to steal money this way, and most people will give up trying to get their money back.
Steal your data and on-sell it to other scammers
Steal your data when you make purchases.
Why is data so important?
People's data is incredibly valuable for several reasons:
1. **Personalisation**: Companies use data to tailor products, services, and advertisements to individual preferences, enhancing user experience and increasing sales.
2. **Targeted Marketing**: Businesses can segment their audience based on data to deliver more effective marketing campaigns, leading to higher conversion rates.
3. **Competitive Advantage**: Organisations that analyse data can identify trends, optimise operations, and make informed decisions, giving them an edge over competitors.
4. **Monetisation**: Data can be sold to third parties, such as marketers and advertisers, which creates a direct revenue stream.
5. **Cybercrime**: Malicious actors steal data for various purposes, including identity theft, fraud, and ransom, as sensitive information can be exploited for financial gain.
6. **Social Engineering**: Personal data can be used to manipulate individuals or gain unauthorised access to systems.
As a result, the high value of data leads to increased efforts to steal it, whether for legitimate business purposes or nefarious activities. This is why data protection and privacy are critical issues in today’s digital landscape.
An Easy Way for Scammers to Steal Your Data and a Tip to Protect Yourself:
Email campaigns drive many sales for businesses; for us, they help us generate income so we can keep making free YouTube tutorials.
Many websites ask you to subscribe or sign up, which is fine. However, some big businesses will get hacked and have their data stolen, e.g., your email address and phone number.
So next time you sign up to a big business, do this:
When they ask for your first name, put the name of the business first and then your name.
This won't protect you from scammers, but when they try to scam you, they may contact you and call you "Coles Alaura," for example. That way, you know exactly which website was compromised, and you can notify them immediately. And you will know their contact attempt it is fake and to not act.
Spotting AI Scams:
Many scammers steal legitimate businesses' identities and post them online to try to sell their fake products. They also create AI images to disrupt the political or social landscape.
Many fake pages are targeted towards senior women to encourage them to comment on posts with AI imagery. This helps scammers find your profile more easily and then reach out. Some random man may reply and say you are beautiful, and you definitely are, but he isn't real.
Here is a YouTube video a friend recommended to me; it shows the types of scam images, ranging from artworks people make to celebrity gossip.
Warning: there is some swearing in this video.
I recommend looking at more AI scam videos on YouTube to see what else is out there and to assess if you get that type of content in your feed.
Phone calls, Text Messages and Email Scams:
I recieve so many scam text messages and calls every day. My number must have been put on some list as people call me pretending to be the bank and say I will be charged for some expensive purchase. Another scam I always receive is email scams saying Pattern Poole will be sued because of copyright, and there is always a link to a PDF document about why I am being sued.
Can you spot how this email is a scam?
When I Googled the company, I found that it actually exists, but the email address that sent the email ended in Gmail. That is a prime giveaway that this is a scam.
Can you see the big red button to "View Evidence of Copyright Infrigement.pdf"?
Yep, if I clicked on that, it would be bye-bye to my data.
Protecting Yourself From Email Scams:
Some email scams can be easily spotted by poor grammar and spelling or blurry company logos. For trickier emails that look more like the real thing, there are other clues you can look for.
Mismatched sender details
Look at the email address. Does the domain name (the part of the email address that comes after the @ symbol) match the name in the From field? If you can’t see the email address, tap or click on the sender’s name. An obvious mismatch would be an email that claims to be from Microsoft, but the email address reads microsoftcustomerhelp8@gmail.com.
No large legitimate organisation will email you from a free webmail address such as Gmail, Yahoo or Outlook.com.
Unfortunately, mismatched details are not always so obvious. Scammers can use technology to disguise their email address to make it look more like a company’s domain name – this is known as spoofing. Look out for misspellings, extra characters, numbers, or words in a domain name that make it look similar but not the same as the official domain. For example, For NAB banking, they could use @nabbank.com.au or @nab.com their offical domain is actually nab.com.au
If you’re unsure whether an email address is legitimate, check for other clues in the email or do an online search to see what comes up. Always check the company's domain name.
So, for our business, our website is www.patternpoole.com. You can see our domain name after www. which is patternpoole.com
Therefore, an email coming from support@patternpoole.com.au would be a scam.
Can you tell me why?
Protecting Yourself From Text Message Scams
Text messages are a common vehicle for scammers. To avoid becoming a victim, consider the following best practices:
Don’t Trust Unknown Numbers
If you receive a message from an unrecognised number, ignore it. Do not click on links or provide personal information. Blocking the sender is a smart move.
Be Cautious with Links
Reputable organisations rarely ask you to click links in text messages. If you receive a suspicious message from your bank, contact them directly using their official number to confirm its legitimacy. In Australia, if the bank ever tries to call you, they will notify you via your bank's app with a code. Only the bank can send you messages via their app.
If the bank or some company calls you regarding a bill, say you will call them back and call the legitimate number on their website. If you get through to them, ask them if they called you today, as they should have a log on your account.
Recommended Action:
Don't ever give away private information to a caller who claims to be a bank or some company that you pay for their service. If the matter is urgent, they should email you. Check that the email is sent from a proper source and not a random Gmail account like the photo above.
Lastly, another tip for staying safe online is to use a VPN.
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a technology that creates a secure, encrypted connection between your device and a remote server operated by the VPN provider. Here’s how it works and how it helps keep you safe online:
Encryption: A VPN encrypts your internet traffic, making it difficult for anyone (including hackers, ISPs, or government entities) to intercept and read your data. This is especially important when using public Wi-Fi networks.
Anonymity: By routing your connection through a VPN server, your real IP address is masked. Instead, websites and services see the IP address of the VPN server, which helps protect your identity and location.
Bypassing Restrictions: VPNs can help you access content that might be restricted in your region by making it appear as though you're browsing from a different location. Hello, Netflix from another region with access to heaps more content!
Secure Data Transmission: VPNs provide a secure tunnel for data, protecting sensitive information such as passwords and financial details from potential threats.
Preventing Bandwidth Throttling: Some ISPs limit bandwidth for certain activities, like streaming or gaming. A VPN can help prevent this throttling by masking your activity.
Overall, using a VPN enhances your online privacy and security, especially when accessing sensitive information or using unsecured networks.
I recommend Surf Shark as that is what I use.
It costs money, but I think it is worth it.
And one final tip: very strong passwords with lots of numbers and symbols. Keep note of your passwords in a special book in your house.
Being online and connecting with people is fabulous, and don't let scammers deter you. Always stay up-to-date with how to keep yourself safe!
I hope you found this blog post helpful. Feel free to contact me if you need help or have a question.
Our Facebook group is a safe, scam-free place that is diligently moderated by our amazing admins, Marcia and Jacki.
So feel free to join, have fun, make friends and stay safe.
Ps. make sure to answer the questions when you join so we know you are real.
To finish this post, here are some AI images I whipped up in less than 1 minute to expose you to how they look.
If you want more posts like this, let me know.
Lots of love,
Alaura
Thank you for posting. I hope many of your followers read this so they can stay safe and not be taken advantage of!
Wow Alaura! Thanks so much for this very detailed explanation and warning. I learned a lot! Yes I would like to see more like it.