How to protect yourself from fraud? A few simple rules

How to protect yourself from scammers

Manual. How to Avoid Scams

Maxim Klim

ISBN 978-5-4485-5747-7

Created in intellectual publishing system Ridero

This guide looks at the reasons why people fall for charlatans and tips on how to avoid it in the future.

Introductory chapter

The introductory idea of this book is the following - everyone is always trying and will try to deceive you in order to get as much as possible from you. more money, often violating the terms of contracts and possibly many laws.

Fraud exists in areas where quite a lot of money is involved - transactions with real estate, cars, etc. because it is much easier to “make money” there. Therefore, this has a painful effect on those who fall into the hands of such dishonest people.

Fraudsters are often legally savvy, unlike most people. They use loopholes in laws, small print and substitution of concepts in contracts, persistently persuade, so much so that it looks more like hypnosis.

The list of types of fraud could take a very long time, and new types of fraud appear with enviable regularity.

Topics that we will cover in this manual:

A) How we are deceived and why we believe everything.

C) How to conclude an agreement and not fall for scammers

D) Real life cases of fraud

D) Common fraud schemes

Why do scammers often manage to deceive us?

Unfortunately, very often the victims of scammers themselves make this task easier for them. Mostly this happens unconsciously. It's just that many people are too gullible to begin with. They think that we live in a highly developed legal society, where there is law, moral principles, where we are constantly on guard law enforcement agencies and similar misconceptions.

In fact, everything is not quite like that! Of course, the law is in force and the police are vigilant as hard as they can, but you will be surprised how helpless this entire law enforcement system is often if you fall for the scammers.

You need to understand that people who initially intend to leave you penniless are afraid of little, especially your angry tone on the phone. You think that the person wants to help you because... he will get money for it and it’s already beneficial for him, but this is not always the case.

Fraudsters in their field swim like fish in water. They clearly have dozens of polished schemes for taking money from the population and this inspires them with confidence that they will go unpunished, not counting, of course, your curses. I'm not trying to make you believe in illegality, it's just something you should always remember when giving a lot of money to a stranger.

Remember - any person to whom you give money, with or without an agreement, may turn out to be a fraudster. To protect yourself from such cases, or at least tell yourself that you did everything in your power to prevent the worst from happening - this is what my manual is about.

How to stay with money

I'll start with the basic and simple things that you don't need to do to stay with your money. Let's go over them quickly and talk in more detail about the more serious points. The first not very serious scam involves mobile phones. Remember, your phone or smartphone is no longer just a regular landline phone, it is whole computer, it must be handled with care.

I don’t want to dwell for a long time on telephone (voice) fraud, namely on cases when a person calls you and asks you to bring money to close a criminal case against your relative. In this case, you need to immediately hang up or call the police. Even in such cases, you need to immediately call your relative back and ask how he really is doing.

Remember, you are not obligated to answer or listen to everything the person calling you says. unknown number. All this information needs to be checked, and only then remember where you keep the money and how much is left there.

More new way came up with small scammer programmers, they send you tempting SMS messages that contain a link to some page on the Internet. Often the text of such messages is related to your interests, place of residence or your work. There is only one rule here - do not follow any links and delete this message from your phone as quickly as possible.

Another type of SMS fraud is very popular. WITH unknown number you receive a message that your balance has been replenished by a certain amount. To be sure, insert your name into the text. mobile operator. Later, another message arrives, this time from the pseudo-poor fellow, asking him to return the mistaken payment. This is guaranteed to be a trick, because... You received an SMS about replenishing your balance not from a mobile operator, but simply from someone else’s number. Be careful.

In general, a smartphone is a rather dangerous toy if it is infected malicious code, with which scammers can connect to the microphone and camera of your phone, and also study your hectic personal life by viewing the contents of your device’s memory. To reduce the risk of being left without money to a minimum, keep your phone away from you when you carry out transactions with money.

End of introductory fragment.

Text provided by LitRes LLC.

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26/08/2015

Internet fraud: how to avoid being scammed online?

Andrea Jach

The vast majority of us, at one stage or another in our lives, have become victims of deception or fraud: from games in the children's sandbox to large-scale financial scams - for a certain category of people it is quite natural to try to make money by resorting to scams and deception. The Internet has become an integral part of our lives, its popularity is increasing, and with it the number of new tricks to take away funds from naive and not-so-users.

Phishing

Phishing – stealing data in order to gain access to your money or other important information(account number, cards, passwords, access codes, passport details, etc.). Attackers send emails on behalf of banks and payment systems, and at first glance they are difficult to distinguish from the originals. You are asked to follow a link to a page where you will need to enter, for example, your card details due to changes in the bank’s security system. By doing this, you are essentially handing over your funds to the scammers on a silver platter. How to protect yourself and not fall into their trap? Let's look at the most popular types of online fraud.

Job offers with an advance payment for administrative or any other expenses

They are becoming increasingly popular in times of crisis and high unemployment. No matter how tempting a vacancy may seem, if in order to get a place they require money from you, even if it’s small, this should at least put you on guard.

Money from the sky

Don't trust promises of fast, easy and big earnings. If someone claims that you can get rich without the slightest effort, get a big loan with a damaged credit history, or make an investment without risk and with huge returns, they are most likely deceiving you. Money doesn't appear out of nowhere. The exception is, perhaps, . They will help you improve your credit history.

Locking the operating system on your computer

It is launched through a virus that can easily get to you from the Internet, especially if you neglect antivirus protection. A message appears on the screen that to restore normal operation it is necessary to transfer funds in one form or another to Internet pests. Since they often do not fulfill their promises, we advise you to immediately contact IT specialists.

Helping the sick and poor

The Internet is literally teeming with photographs with information about unfortunate sick children; the stories are written in such a way that any normal person’s hand will immediately reach for a wallet or card. If you want to help real people, do it through proven funds with a good reputation or directly to those in need.

Online shopping

Now you can buy everything, or almost everything, online. And this is really very convenient way making purchases. In order not to be deceived, follow simple rules: 1. Make purchases on trusted pages with a good reputation or inquire about the selected online store, read forums and reviews, make sure it is reliable. Check if the seller’s contact information (telephone and address) is on the page, and don’t be lazy to make a call. If possible, pay in cash at the time of delivery. Get a separate card for online purchases, money to which will be transferred in small amounts as needed. When paying by card, make sure that the first part of the page address “http” has changed to “https”, which indicates the presence of special encryption used when creating electronic payment systems. Connect to a service in which you will receive an SMS notification on your phone when you make transactions using your card. Please assume that any information about you on the Internet can potentially be used against you. Therefore, be careful and cautious.

Related materials

What does the average Internet user do? Downloads music, searches for information, writes blogs, watches entertainment sites, sends letters. And from time to time he is faced with an offer to receive a large amount behind a short time. And almost everyone has a desire to get this money. Even a cautious and distrustful person forgets about his doubts when he sees a good online store, with an attractive design and with well-written text, thoughtful usability and content. Teenagers are especially easy to fall for this bait. People send the required amount to your wallet and wait for your earnings. And scammers get their money easily.

Every day there are more and more scammers on the Internet. Tricks are being invented to siphon money from frivolous users. Complete impunity, anonymity, many gullible people are fertile ground for fraudulent business.

The most important thing to remember is that there are no freebies. Choosing the necessary household appliances in an online supermarket - be it, for example, a TV, which can be bought with one click of the mouse, or a laptop or other electronics - you must be careful when comparing prices in different retail outlets. After all, it's not always just about price. It is also important to receive exactly the high-quality product you ordered, and not some kind of fake or nothing at all. Nobody will give you money for anything. Money will never appear just like that, even if it is electronic money.

Money is extorted either under the pretext of receiving goods or under the pretext of providing services.

What you need to remember when buying goods in online stores

The World Wide Web provides great opportunities not only for businesses, but also for consumers. You can only find expensive, fashionable things for more low prices. But in pursuit of cheap goods, one must be careful.

A good example is the story of Tom Shead, who decided to buy a Rolex for his wife. They cost £20,000 in the store. Having seen this watch at an online auction for the ridiculous price of £4,700, Tom immediately paid for the purchase and all fees. And I was very surprised to receive only a photo of the watch in the parcel. The story ended with the seller responding to the buyer’s indignation that selling a real Rolex for that amount would be simply ridiculous. In this case, getting the money back will not be easy at all. How to avoid getting into such a sticky situation? Stop shopping online altogether? But on the Internet you can find truly unique things that are not sold in regular stores. The only way to protect yourself from fraud is to carefully choose a seller.

A few simple rules

Pay attention to the cost. If the price of the product is very low, then there may be a catch.
Pay attention to the design of the online store. Study the site design, check availability contact information. If the store director spared money on the site, but instead of contacts he left only email– there may also be a catch here.
Pay attention to the rating. Be sure to look at the seller's reviews. If there are a lot of negative reviews, it is better to refuse purchases.
Pay attention to product descriptions. Find out the characteristics of the product in advance and carefully search for information about it in the store. If the information differs from what you saw on the Internet or know, it is better to refuse the purchase.

Buy online, but be careful not to fall for the tricks of cunning scammers.

In this article, we have put together a number of tips that will help you protect yourself and avoid becoming a victim of scammers when shopping for clothes online. Some of these tips were compiled by us, and some were compiled by one of our experienced sellers, Olga, based on her more than six years of experience selling online.

Unfortunately, most types of fraud are completely simple and are based not so much on cunning schemes, but on our banal inattention and gullibility. You can come across these schemes on any platform for selling things, and they are not so diverse. We hope that our tips will help you avoid unpleasant situations when shopping online.

“My name is Olga, and I have been selling and buying clothes online for more than 6 years. And it all started once with random purchase to VKontakte groups. I was never particularly embarrassed by buying second-hand things, I liked buying at ridiculous prices, and over time I almost forgot what regular stores were like. I bought more and more often and was glad that for relatively little money I was constantly wearing new clothes. At about the same speed as my wardrobe was updated, extra things accumulated. Then I started a page on social networks for my sales.

Currently selling 125 items in Shafa

Time passed, I successfully exchanged new for old, sold and earned myself positive reviews and a reputation. I spent quite a lot of time in my “shop”, getting acquainted with different people, “walked” on the Internet, found out different stories. Soon I came across the group “Black List of Ukraine” and subscribed to its updates. Every day I read hundreds of posts about different variants deceptions on the part of sellers - and the disappearance of pages, and how, instead of paid items in parcels, buyers received trays of eggs or completely unnecessary things.

I began to seriously delve into these matters, talked a lot with other girls who found themselves in unpleasant situations related to online deception. From my experience and the experience of all my friends, I eventually developed a number of rules and recommendations for those who do not want to become victims of fraud on the Internet.

How to protect yourself from scammers

If you are a seller

Shafa's advice

Unfortunately, not only sellers, but also potential buyers are dishonest and unscrupulous. Sometimes this is deliberate fraud, sometimes it is simply disrespect for other people’s time and basic human dishonesty. What kind of troubles can sellers of things encounter on the Internet and what they need to remember in order not to be deceived.

Fake checks and SMS about payment

The fraudster negotiates the purchase of the item, specifies the card number, and after some time sends you a photo of a receipt from the terminal about the transfer of money, or you receive an SMS on your phone about the money being credited to your account. The scammer reports that he paid the money and asks to send the purchase faster. Take your time! IN mandatory check the real account status. Here the calculation is based on the seller’s banal inattention and his faith in the decency of people.

How to protect yourself: be sure to check the real status of the account by everyone accessible ways: via Internet banking, Privat24 or by calling your bank.

Card fraud

The simplest option. No sooner have you placed an ad than a potential buyer already calls you and is immediately ready to buy your item. Sometimes, for the sake of decency, they may ask some question, but more often than not they don’t even bother to feign plausible interest. So, you are ready to buy the item with 100% prepayment with delivery to another city, you provide the card number. And after some time, you receive a call allegedly from an employee of your bank that you have received a payment for a certain amount, but it cannot be credited because... and then various false pretexts, using which scammers try to find out your card details from you in order to withdraw money from it.

How to protect yourself: first, if possible, do not give out the phone number that is linked to your card in advertisements for a contact. Then it will be easier for you not to get confused and understand that the call from the bank is fake.

Remember that real bank employees will never check with you additional information when they call you themselves. Remember which card details are safe and secure to give to strangers, and which ones cannot be disclosed to strangers under any circumstances. More on this below.

The buyer does not come to collect the parcel

This is not deliberate fraud, but simply a matter of honoring your obligations. But in this situation, the seller may well end up with quite significant amounts of money. The buyer asks to send him the item cash on delivery via Nova Poshta, the seller agrees. After which the buyer simply does not come to collect his parcel. 5 days pass, the paid storage period begins. The buyer either simply disappears, or promises over the phone that literally tomorrow he will definitely pick up everything. After a while New mail informs that the parcel will be disposed of soon. And the seller is forced to return it back at his own expense.

So, in the “best” case, you will only spend money on shipping back and forth, and in the worst case, you will be forced to pay for paid storage. If the item is good and in demand, you will lose other potential buyers. The percentage of people who order frivolously and then “forget” about their orders is not so small. It is for this reason that many quite decent sellers do not agree to cash on delivery; they already have bad experience.

How to protect yourself: agree in advance with buyers on a small advance payment, which will compensate for at least part of the shipping of the item, reducing the cash on delivery by this amount. And warn that you will not wait until paid storage, but will simply return the parcel to yourself.

Security of your bank card on the Internet

Majority fraudulent activities with cards occurs due to the negligence of cardholders at the moment when they themselves provide fraudsters with the secret data necessary to carry out transactions with the card.

If you are going to receive payment for your item on a card, for example, on a Privat card (probably the most popular card now among sellers and buyers), then the only information you need to provide to a potential buyer is the card number and your full name. The cardholder's name may be needed for verification purposes, in case you made a mistake in the card number.

Never and under any circumstances may you need to transfer money: PIN code, card expiration date, CVV code (three-digit number on back side cards), one-time security passwords sent to you by the bank.

It is worth remembering that you will never, under any circumstances, be asked for additional information on your card if you received a real call from the bank. If they try to request the above data from you and ask about the balance in your account, then rest assured that you are dealing with scammers.

There is no situation where in order to receive payment from a customer you need to have a non-zero balance on your card or you have to go to an ATM to “process” a payment to you from someone else. If such questions and suggestions arise during communication with the buyer, it is guaranteed to be a scammer.

Ideally, for any purchases or sales on the Internet, it is best to have a separate card on which you do not store significant amounts. Disable credit limits on this card and set a daily debit limit. Then, even if you are careless, scammers will not be able to deprive you of a significant amount of money.

If you are a buyer

Olga's advice

Pay attention to the seller's page

A good seller completely fills out his entire page and writes a lot of explanatory text. This seller has a lot of friends and subscribers, a lot of photos.

Pay attention to the photographs themselves. Most often, the seller has his own “style”: he photographs all the things in one place, on one person, signs them, makes collages. All this takes quite a bit of time; a scammer will not do this.

Feel free to ask questions

Feel free to ask for additional photos and different measurements of the item. If the seller does not have this item, he will not be able to take additional photos.

Read reviews carefully

I had a situation when a girl approached me and asked me to exchange fictitious positive reviews. I refused her. And a month later there were a lot of complaints about her in the Black List community. Many did not understand how this could happen. After all, there were more than 50-60 positive reviews. And only when detailed study found that 90% of reviews were written within 5-20 minutes of each other. And when you went to the page of the person who left the review, reviews about the fraudulent seller were visible.

If the seller has a lot of reviews, but something still confuses you, do not hesitate to write to the person who left the review; it is advisable to choose the first one you come across and ask about real impressions of the transaction.

Avoid custom purchases or questionable joint purchases

Be careful if the seller does not have reviews from real buyers, if there are few photos, if the seller does not provide full information, and, of course, if the price is too low.

Remember free cheese only in a mousetrap. Even if the amount is small, you will remain disappointed with the transaction and distrust of other sellers for a long time.

Please send your order by cash on delivery

Especially if the item costs more than 3 kopecks. Agree with the seller on a minimum advance payment equal to the cost of delivery, so that you are confident of receiving the goods, and the seller is sure that if you do not pick up the parcel, he will not have to pay the cost of transportation. Honest sellers often do not want to send cash on delivery only for this reason.

Do not transfer money to accounts such as Yandex-money or Webmoney

This is electronic money, here you will never know the name of the person in whose name such accounts are registered. Please ask for the recipient's full name along with the card account. Firstly, if there is an error in the numbers, you can always check the match with the owner's name.

Ask for a phone number, you can call and make sure that the seller is “live”. Sometimes a conversation can become a decisive point - to dispel your suspicions or, conversely, confirm them.

Don't throw away payment documents

Wait for confirmation of receipt of money. Payment documents will also be useful to you if a showdown begins.

Blacklists of scammers

Another tip from us. You have received the card details and the name of the seller and are ready to make a full prepayment. Take your time! Now you need to spend another half hour of your time on a little research, the desired thing will not go away from you during this time, you can save money and nerves.

Don’t be lazy to enter the card number, phone number and person’s name in Google search. Unfortunately, due to the imperfection of the legislative and banking systems, and the reluctance of our people to once again contact law enforcement agencies, fraudsters can operate with the same card for quite a long time. Reports of cases of fraud indicating the data of unscrupulous sellers are kept in many places on Ukrnet, and are quite easily found by search. Of course, if you haven’t found your seller’s details, this is not a 100% guarantee of his honesty, but if you have found it, it’s better that this happens before you “get” the money.

Subscribe to thematic group VKontakte, for example, to the group “

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Current page: 1 (book has 1 pages in total)

How to protect yourself from scammers
Manual. How to Avoid Scams
Maxim Klim

ISBN 978-5-4485-5747-7

Created in the intellectual publishing system Ridero

This guide looks at the reasons why people fall for charlatans and tips on how to avoid it in the future.

Introductory chapter

The introductory idea of this book is the following - everyone is always trying and will try to deceive you in order to get as much money as possible from you, often violating the terms of contracts and possibly many laws.

The list of types of fraud could take a very long time, and new types of fraud appear with enviable regularity.

Topics that we will cover in this manual:

A) How we are deceived and why we believe everything.

C) How to conclude an agreement and not fall for scammers

D) Real life cases of fraud

D) Common fraud schemes

Why do scammers often manage to deceive us?

Unfortunately, very often the victims of scammers themselves make this task easier for them. Mostly this happens unconsciously. It's just that many people are too gullible to begin with. They think that we live in a highly developed legal society, where there is law, moral principles, where law enforcement agencies are constantly on guard and similar misconceptions.

In fact, everything is not quite like that

end of introductory fragment

Attention! This is an introductory fragment of the book.

If you liked the beginning of the book, then full version can be purchased from our distribution partner legal content LLC "LitRes"