Top 9 Most Common Types of Internet Fraud
Every day Internet users become victims of various scams that lurk on the Internet. Below we will reveal the most common forms of fraud and give tips on how to avoid them and prevent money loss. But first you should remember the golden rule: it all depends on you!
And so, if you come across something that seems too good to be true, then the chances are high that it is a scam.
- Fake brokers attack
The story often begins when harmless surfing on the Internet ends with registration in a service that promises easy money online. The next step will be a call, an email or a message from a fake broker with the aim of a beautiful investment offer, but in fact a vile extortion of as much money as possible.
If the call was successful, the user pays the money using Bitcoin, card or bank transaction. After receiving the money, the broker regularly sends the user statements about the expected income, which excites the imagination and encourages the user to increase the initial rate.
When the user starts insisting on paying the profit, the whole story reaches the final end, and the contact is broken. It becomes clear to the user that this is a scam, but it’s too late to cancel anything. As they say: what has grown has grown.
The worst cases happen when clients take on debts or loans and endanger their fragile financial stability.
Characteristics of the most common forms of fraud
Scammers are becoming more and more inventive, and finding the most vulnerable victims by tapping into their weaknesses. So be careful about what personal information you share on social networks or with strangers. Any information published by you can serve as a lever for scammers.
In addition to the example of financial fraud described by us, there are a number of different types of fraud, which are most often spread through email and social networks. Some of the most common types include:
- Unexpected cash profit
- Cryptocurrency AirDrop
- Fake donations
- Representation by someone else’s name
- Fake romantic relationship
- Emergency situation
- Fake lottery winnings
- Prepayment
- Threats
All of these types of scams require users to send money to pay for imaginary costs, services, or to prevent the disclosure of confidential data to the public. On the other hand, some types of fraud are aimed at collecting personal information and stealing the user’s identity.
Each scam is aimed at a specific group of users who, in certain circumstances, are fertile ground for scammers. So, various romantic scams have been flourishing in recent months, because scammers abuse the relative isolation of people caused by epidemiological measures.
More complex types of fraud include pyramid schemes and ponzi schemes, in which more resources are required for the fraud to succeed.
Contracts
Currently, there is fraud with transaction agreements, when fraudsters falsely impersonate representatives of the Blockchain platform.
The contract says that you need to pay a commission for a cryptocurrency transaction before they send you a fabulous amount of Bitcoins. It is immediately clear that this is a cover that is better to ignore.
Telegram – the abode of the deceived
The openness of this wonderful and very useful uncensored communication tool is used by many scammers and abused by them to find potential victims. Know that scammers are hiding in all Telegram groups.
The worst of all are the support groups of various mobile wallets, where fraudsters falsely pose as technical support agents and encourage users to send them their private keys. But this is just one example, you will probably encounter all the forms of fraud described earlier.
Fortunately, this trick does not work on all wallets. For example, in the entire history of SpaceBot, there have been no incidents of this kind.
And the solution to the problem is simple: it is enough to disable receiving private messages in the Telegram application settings and disable automatic addition to new groups. It is also advisable to make sure that the display of the phone number is hidden, i.e. it is only available for contacts from your phone book.
How to avoid fraud
The solution is obvious, simple and clear. However, scammers are able to speak very beautifully and skillfully manipulate gullible people, promising milk rivers with jelly banks. A dream sports car, a penthouse on top of a skyscraper or a guaranteed pension – sound tempting and will reduce vigilance by opening the door to scammers.
First of all, never invest or pay with money that you are not ready to lose immediately. First of all, this applies to attracting a loan or debt, which you will not be able to repay if the “investment” fails.
If you are careful and adhere to a few security rules, the Internet will become a much safer place. It will be easier for you to protect yourself and avoid most of the tricks and deception:
- Never tell anyone your password, PIN, private key or secret words.
- When we say never, we really mean that there is no good reason to say the opposite.
- Do not send cryptocurrency in the hope of getting a higher amount.
- There is NO quick and easy online earnings.
- Earning 1% or more on a daily basis is not sustainable and is a scam.
- Do not share personal information with unknown people and services
- Never open suspicious attachments in email messages, and do not install suspicious programs.
Before each investment, be well informed, maintain a high dose of skepticism and be prepared to take the full risk associated with the investment.
List of (possible) scammers
Below you will find a list of potential scammers, which is regularly updated and thus attract the attention of our users to the need to increase caution in any business or interaction with these services.
- Yuan Pay Group,
- OneCoin,
- Karatbars,
- x90,
- zet10,
- Imperial Finance,
- CryptoEddu,
- InvestFd InvestFeed,
- TheBestVouchers,
- Endotech,
- GiroFX,
- Quibittech,
- OlympiaMarkets,
- Crypto-Max,
- Crypto Inc,
- Crypto Invest,
- Exchange Coindesk (клон),
- Secretcryptodeals,
- Cryptobase Inc,
- Cryptobull,
- Cryptohands,
- CryptoKS,
- Crypton Broker,
- Cryptonode,
- Cryptoon,
- MigoTrade,
- QicMarketGroup.
What should I do if I fall for a scam?
Unfortunately, your options are very limited. Committed crypto transactions are final and cannot be reversed. In addition, cryptographic addresses are not associated with a first and last name, so it is rare to find out who is behind a specific address or wallet.
You can try to contact the competent institutions, but do not expect miracles. If this is a bank transaction, you may be lucky if you react quickly and manage to stop or cancel the transaction. But it is very likely that you will have to say goodbye to the lost money. Try to learn the lesson so that this situation does not happen again in the future.
Conclusion
Dear citizens, stop sending hard-earned money to unknown brokers, fake financial advisors, various “gurus” and similar attackers. Open your eyes and accept that there is no easy money without a pickaxe and a hoe.
Bitcoin is a valuable asset, but by sending it to scammers, you cause yourself double financial damage. You deprive yourself of the opportunity to increase your well-being. Explore the crypto space, and don’t lose money until it’s too late.