Daniel Klibanoff on Internet Scams

Cybercriminals can exploit the internet to con their victims. Scams on the internet take various forms, including pop-ups that contain malware, emails that try to fool you into providing financial information, and social media posts designed to start bogus love relationships. As a result, Daniel Klibanoff believes it is best to know what you can do to reduce your risk of falling victim to internet scams

Internet Scams

An internet scam occurs when someone uses the internet or software programs to scam or exploit victims, usually for monetary gain. Daniel Klibanoff notes that internet scams are constantly changing and can take many forms. Unfortunately, many effective online scams have the same outcome: victims lose their money and do not receive the benefits promised by the scammer. Here are some examples

Romance Scams

Although online dating can be a good way to meet potential romantic partners, Daniel Klibanoff believes it is best to be careful of fraudsters who use it to trick unwary victims. The fraudster usually initiates contact through an online dating service and establishes an online connection but always makes excuses for why they can’t meet in person. Once the fraudster acquires the victim’s trust, the fraudster will ask for money or financial information. Statistics show there could be up to over two hundred counts of romance scams, with victims losing millions of dollars.

Phishing Scams

According to an FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center report, phishing is a widespread fraud that cost victims over $48 million in 2018. Research also shows that it is one of the most common scams, with over four thousand reported instances.

In a phishing scam, a fraudster will send you emails that appear to come from a trustworthy source, such as banks, social networking sites, or online stores. Then, the message tries to trick you into disclosing crucial personal information such as passwords, credit card details, and bank account numbers. Daniel Klibanoff advises his followers to never click on any of the links in these emails, react to them, try to unsubscribe, or give out personal information.

To avoid these internet scams, Daniel Klibanoff recommends making formal complaints to the FBI’s Crime Complaint Center, setting up multiple layers of security on all of your internet-connected devices, and not responding to any suspicious emails.

Reference: https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-online-scams-internet-scams.html