It seems every day, more and more stories come out of somebody getting taken advantage of with some form of online scam.
Email phishing, fake online storefronts, crypto fraud — the list goes on and on. With so many different ways to be bamboozled, how can a person ever truly feel safe while online?
In the spirit of Cybersecurity awareness month, it is important to be armed with solid strategies necessary to navigate the wild west that is the internet.
Curt Dueck, president of SolutionsIT offered his assistance in helping to recognize the different ways that a person can identify possible incoming scams.
Recognizing Incoming Scams
Different scams take on different forms, but most incoming scams according to Dueck come in the form of some kind of spam. Some examples include:
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Phishing emails, hot topics to get your attention, all sorts of different tactics to pull your focus. “On the crazy side we have the Nigerian Prince who’s looking to funnel money through you...”
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While selling used vehicles. “Most people are seeing if you’re selling your vehicle online, that’s a really popular one where somebody wants to send you more money for shipping.”
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A stranger approaching you with a business opportunity “If it’s too good to be true, it isn’t”
Another type of scam Dueck mentions is voice matching, where the scammer captures the likeness or voice of a loved one and tries to tug at heartstrings with fake stories of distress to get emergency funds sent their way.
Dueck says the key to all those types of scams is simple.
“Verification... We need to verify that the other party is real. So, if you’re selling a vehicle and they want to send you more money so that you can do a shipper, and you’ve never actually met this person in the real world, you should be really, really concerned... Verify as much as possible.”
Related stories:
- Cybersecurity Essentials: Strengthening your digital defenses
- Digitally protecting your business, and your community
- Winkler police intervene in local scam attempts
How to Verify
While the process of verification can sound intimidating, Dueck suggested a fairly straightforward approach to many shopping scams, call the vendor.
“Google the business name and dial the number on their website, not the number [they] gave you.”
Dueck even provided a way to verify the person if they called first.
“You might just say, ‘Hey let me just give you a call back’, and you hang up and google... dial the number there and speak with reception... That’s a level of verification... that the business you’re working from is legitimate.”
Stay tuned throughout the month of October and Cybersecurity Awareness month for more tips on staying internet safe, and to learn different tactics you can use to improve your own internet security.
To listen to the interview with Curt Dueck, click below.