Top Online Scams Used by Cyber Criminals to Trick You

Cyber criminals affected the online businesses and individuals since the internet networks first appeared and spread all over the world.

Internet services and websites make it easy for us to pay bills, shop, make online reservations and even work. And you can do any of these actions from any place in the world. Old boundaries and human limitations were dropped, in order for us to have access to almost any information. Our lives became so much easier.

But the same thing is true for CRIME.

Our freedom to navigate and access a wide number of online locations represents in the same time a main vulnerability, because an open door always allows access in both directions.

Criminal minds can reach these days further than before, into our private lives, our homes and work offices. And there is little we can do about it.

Attack methods and tools vary from traditional attack vectors, which use malicious software and vulnerabilities present in almost all the programs and apps (even in the popular Windows operating systems), to ingenious phishing scams deployed from unexpected regions of the world, where justice can’t easily reach out to catch the eventual perpetrators.

The most common ways for you to become vulnerable to a malware attack orphishing scam take place when you:

• shop online
• check your email
• access social media networks

For this reason, we need to know what are the most popular schemes and techniques used by cyber criminals in order to obtain our private information and financial data.

We must not forget their final target is always our money and there is nothing they won’t do to accomplish their mission.

1. Phishing email scams

Phishing scams are based on communication made via email or on social networks. Cyber criminals will send you messages and try to trick you into giving them your login credentials – from your bank account, social network, work account, cloud storage or any other personal data that can prove to be valuable for them.

In order to do that, the phishing emails will seem to come from an official source – it can be bank authorities or other financial institutes, but also delivery companies or social networks representatives.

This way, they’ll persuade you to click on the links contained by their messages and access a website that looks legit, looks like the real one, but it’s actually controlled by them. You will be sent to a fake login access page that resembles the real website.

This way, if you’re not paying attention, you might end up giving your login credentials and other personal information.

In order for their success rate to grow, scammers create a sense of urgency. They’ll tell you a frightening story of how your bank account is under threat and how you really need to access as soon as possible a web page where your must insert your credentials in order to confirm your identity or your account.

Of course, the provided link will only lead you to the fake web location and not to the real login page.

After you fill in your online banking credentials, cyber criminals use them to breach your real bank account or to sell them on the dark web to other interested parties.

It’s one of the main scamming techniques used to spread financial and data stealing malware. There isn’t any reason why you shouldn’t be very well prepared for this attempt. However, even if you install a good antivirus program, there is no better way to stay safe from this threat but to avoid the initial infection phase.

Here’s a complete guide on how to detect and prevent phishing attacks – filled with screenshots and actionable tips.

2. The money laundering scam

This money laundering scam – also known as the Nigerian scam – is actually one of the oldest and most popular scamming schemes. Most of us already encountered it in our own email inbox, in one form or another.

Since it’s an old scam, it suffered multiple variations along the years.

The typical scam starts with an emotional email message. It can be from an official government member, a businessman or a member of a very wealthy family member (usually a woman) who asks you to provide help in retrieving a large sum of money from a bank, paying initially small fees for papers and legal matters. In exchange for your help, they promise you a very large sum of money.

Of course, this is just the beginning. Afterwards, they ask you to pay more and more for additional services, such as transactions or transfer costs. You even receive papers that are supposed to make you believe that it’s all for real. In the end, you are left broke and without any of the promised money.

There were also cases where not only money was lost in the scam, but people were kidnapped or even worse.

In this blog post we exposed more examples of scams carried on social media networks (tips on how to stay safe from them included).

3. Greeting card scams

This is another old scam: the greeting cards that you receive in your email inbox and seem to be coming from a friend.

If you open such an email and click on the card, you usually end up with malicious software that is being downloaded and installed on your operating system.

The malware may be an annoying program that will launch pop-ups with ads, unexpected windows all over the screen. However, it can also be ransomware or one of the worst financial malware that’s been around, part of the infamous Zeus family.

If your system becomes infected with such dangerous malware, you will become one of the bots which are part of a larger network of affected computers. In this unfortunate event, your computer will start sending private data and financial information to a fraudulent server controlled by IT criminals.

To keep yourself safe from identity theft and data breach, we recommend using a specialized security program against this type of dangers.

To find out more information about financial malware, read this article.

And here’s how you can tell if your computer was infected with malware.

4. A guaranteed bank loan or credit card scam

Difficult times push people into getting trapped by “too good to be true” bank offers that guarantee you large amounts of money and have already been pre-approved by the bank.

If such an incredible pre-approved loan is offered to you, simply use your common sense to judge if it’s for real or not.

How is it possible for a bank to offer you such a large sum of money without even knowing your financial situation?

Though it may seem unlikely for people to get trapped by this scam, there’s still a big number of people who lost money by paying the “mandatory” processing fees required by the scammers.

Here are more tips and tricks from top security experts:

5. Lottery scam

One more classic scam which never seems to get old. The lottery scam comes as an email message informing you that you won a huge amount of money and all you need to do to collect your fortune is to pay some small fees.

Lucky you! It doesn’t even matter that you don’t recall ever purchasing lottery tickets.

Since it addresses some of our wildest fantasies, such as quitting our jobs and living off the fortune for the rest of our lives, without ever having to work again, our imagination falls prey easily to images of a dreamhouse, endless summer vacations or expensive items that a normal man can only dream of.

But the dream ends as soon as you realize you have been just another scam victim.

6. Hitman scam

One of the most frequent scams you can meet online is the “hitman” extortion attempt. Cyber criminals will send you an email threatening you in order to obtain money.

This type of scam may come in various forms, such as the one threatening that they will kidnap a family member unless a ransom is paid in a time frame provided by the scammers.

To create the appearance of a real danger, the message is filled with details from the victim’s life, collected from an online account, a personal blog or, more and more frequently, from a social network account.

That’s why it’s not wise to offer sensitive, personal information about you on social media. It might seem like a safe and private place, where you’re only surrounded by friends, but in reality you can never know for sure who’s watching you.

That’s why sometimes it’s better to be a little bit paranoid.

7. Romance scams

How many of us have already been fooled by this one? Since this one addresses our subjective self and not our rational side, we tend to drop our guard and leave aside any logical analysis.

This scam takes place on social dating networks, like Facebook, or by sending a simple email to the potential target.
The male scammers are often located in West Africa, while the female scammers are mostly from the eastern parts of Europe.

Cyber criminals have abused this scamming method for years by using the online dating services. They improved their approach just by testing the potential victims’ reactions.

This scheme or this game may take place for several months or more in order to gain the trust of that person. In many cases, it even goes to the moment when a meeting is arranged.

When this happens, two things may take place:

an “unpredictable” event occurs and the scammer needs money as soon as possible for his/her passport or other details.

if the victim comes from a rich family, he/she may be kidnapped and a large sum of money could be requested from the family.

In a recent romance scam case that was mediatized, a woman lost 

8. Fake antivirus software

We all saw at least once this message on our screens: “You have been infected! Download antivirus X right now to protect your computer!”.

Many of these pop-ups were very well created to resemble actual messages that you might get from Windows or from a normal security product.

If you are lucky, there is nothing more than an innocent hoax that will bother you by displaying unwanted pop-ups on your screen while you browse online.

In this case, to get rid of the annoying pop-ups, we recommend scanning your system using a good antivirus product.

If you are not so lucky, you can end up with malware on your system, such as a Trojan or a keylogger.

This kind of message could also come from one of the most dangerous ransomware threats around, such as CryptoLocker, which is capable of blocking and encrypting your operating system and requesting you a sum of money in exchange for the decryption key.

To avoid this situation, we recommend using a specialized security productagainst this kind of financial malware, besides your traditional antivirus program.

9. Facebook impersonation scam (hijacked profile scam)

Facebook is today the most popular social media network. For this reason, important companies and businesses use it to communicate with customers and promote their products.

With so many friends and connections on this online platform, we use Facebook not only to check our friends’ activities and updates, but also to chat with them.

If most friends, colleagues and social connections are on Facebook, it is perfectly normal for such a place to also attract the unwanted attention of online scammers.

Just imagine your account being hacked by a cyber criminal and gaining access to your close friends and family.

Since it is so important for your privacy and online security, you should be very careful in protecting your personal online accounts just the way you protect your banking or email account. Set a double authentication method as soon as possible. This will act as an additional layer of security, besides your password.

10. Make money fast scams (Economic scams)

The following common online scam is extremely popular: cyber criminals will lure you into believing you can make easy money on the internet. They’ll promise you non-existent jobs, plans and methods of getting rich quickly and money from official government sources.

It is a quite simple and effective approach, because it simply addresses one’s basic need for money, especially when that person is in a difficult financial situation.

From this point of view, this scamming method is similar to the romance scam mentioned above, where the cyber attackers address the romantic needs of the victim.
The fraudulent posting of non-existent jobs for a variety of positions is part of the online criminals’ arsenal.

Using various job types, such as work-at-home scams, the victim is lured into giving away personal information and financial data with the promise of a well paid job that will bring lots of money in a very short period of time.

11. Travel scams

These scams usually appear in the hot summer months or before the short winter vacations, for Christmas or New Year’s Day.

The scenario is usually like this: you receive an email containing an amazing offer for an extraordinary hard to get to destination (usually an exotic place) that expires in a short period of time and you must not miss.

The problem is that some of these offers actually hide some necessary costs until you pay for the initial offer. Others simply take your money without sending you anywhere.

In such cases, we suggest that you study very well the travel offer and look for hidden costs, such as: airport taxes, tickets that you need to pay to access a local attraction, check if the meals are included or not, other local transportation fees between your airport and the hotel or between the hotel and the main attractions mentioned in the initial offer, etc.

As a general rule, we suggest that you go with the trustworthy, well known travel agencies.

You can also check if by paying individually for plane tickets and for accommodation you receive the same results as in the received offer.

Conclusion

Online scams developed using increasingly sophisticated means of deceiving users, especially in the rich Western countries.

According to FBI, online scams have increased over the last 10 years and the total losses doubled in the recent years, affecting both private individuals and large scale businesses. For this reason, cyber criminal activities are now subject to federal investigations and are treated as a very serious problem that affects us all.

For an extended list of common fraud schemes discovered and analyzed by FBI, you can check this article.

You may think that you can’t be fooled by these online scams, since some of them are quite hilarious, such as the one promising to send you money or the one where the scammers pretend to be FBI agents.

But some stories are so convincing for the potential victims that it is difficult to know how to deal with them.

Since some scams are so well organized and convincing, and the people behind so difficult to catch, we need to always keep our guard up. Stay informed about the latest scamming strategies.

* This article was initially published by Aurelian Neagu in September 2014 and updated by Cristina Chipurici in May 2016.

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Steps to Maximize your Wireless Network Security

Steps to Maximize your  Wireless Network Security.We emphasized so many times we are living in an interconnected world and it is a fact we take for granted. This increasing level of connectivity between us and our devices implies not only a greater degree of physical mobility for us, but also the possibility to access the Internet in most places in the world.

It is a fact that more user-friendly technology applications increase the chances of more missutilization. Its best example is the Wi-Fi connection it is totally made easy for its users to use in computer, portable media player, mobiles, video games along many other wireless devices which you want to use without cables. This modern world’s trendy applications made lots of things easy from the traditional networking services. But as you get easy access hacking also becomes more easy for bad guys.

Hacking chances even increase more when you want to share your Wi-Fi access with your friends for long. Young generation will love to use Google TV dongle for watching YouTube videos with friends by logging in the same network instead of using YouTube’s iOS and Android apps to bring clips together and collect them for TV screen.

Though some developers have find out few clever apps to share password with secured strategies but nothing seems as effective as to stop hackers or abandon them completely. what we really require is a different Wi-Fi security approach. Instead of strengthening security reasons more hacking tools and software are increasing day by day.

Here is a good news that we can secure our home network. The secure strategy will not only prevent others from stealing your internet but also control hackers to computers through wireless network. There are some simple steps that can help you to secure your wireless network easily.

 1.OPEN ROUTER SETTING PAGE:

Access your wireless router’s settings and enter the correct user name and password for the router Or else you can find manuals from Google for most routers online.

 2.DIFFERENT PASSWORD FOR ROUTER:

To secure your Wi-Fi network you need to change your default router’s password to achieve more security. So that others can’t easily access the router. Change your password from admin settings on your router’s setting page.

3.CHANGE NETWORK’S SSID:

SSID or wireless network name of your wireless router is always pre-defined so it can be a weak point for security point of view. Never use your name, personal information, home address for SSID name. Most of the time hackers use scanning tools which are available freely to find all available wireless networks in an area. When you set your SSID name then you can connect with the correct wireless network even if there are multiple wireless networks in your area.

 4.ENABLE NETWORK ENCRYPTION:

Encrypt your wireless signals to avoid your area computers from using your internet connection. Among several encryption strategies, WEP, WPA (WPA-Personal), and WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access version 2) are most known methods.

If you want your wireless network to be enabled by an encryption, then open the wireless security settings on your router’s configuration page. It will help you to select which security method you want to select, For older devices, choose WEP, otherwise go with WPA2. Enter a security phrase to access the network by setting difficult procedure. Set complex pass phrase by combining letters, numbers, and special characters.

 5.ENABLE MAC ADDRESS:

All wireless devices have unique MAC adresss just as computers have internet access with specific IP address. You need to filter your MAC addresses to avoid spoofing. For MAC fliteration prepare a list of all hardware devices to connect with your wireless network. Go to administrative settings to find your MAC addresses by opening command prompt and typing in “ipconfig /all”, which will show your MAC address near the name “Physical Address”.

 6.REDUCE WIRELESS SIGNAL:

If you have a small living place then don’t go for high range wireless router. So change mode of your router to 802, 11g instead of 802.11n or 802.11b or else you can try different wireless channels. Place your router in a small box or wrap a foil around the router antennas to restrict signals directions. Even you can apply the anti Wi-Fi paint, which is developed by researchers to block accessing of your home network without setting up encryption of router level.

 7.UPGRADE ROUTER’S FIRMWARE:

Check manufacture’s site to ensure whether your router is running with latest firmware or not. You can find the version through router’s dashboard at 192.168.*.

8.SECURE WIRELESS NETWORK CONNECTION:

After filtering your MAC address you can add new settings to your computer or to any other wireless devices to be in touch with Wi-Fi network. By selecting the automatic connection option in your computer, you can protect your SSID entrance and every useful information during every time internet connection.

9.TURN OFF NETWORK DURING NON USE PERIOD:

Turn off your router when you are not using your computer for longer period. It not only save you from wireless piggy backers but also save your electricity.

10.WISE USE OF MAC ADDRESS:

When you are using any new device to connect with your network, there you need to find MAC address and add it to your router. But if you want to let a friend connect to your wireless network one time, its better to remove your friend’s MAC address from the router settings when he or she leaves your place.

So with these steps you can secure your Wi-Fi network and also can enjoy your as usual YouTube party with group of friends without any fear.

11. Choose a strong password for your network administrator

To set up your wireless router, usually you need to access an online platform or web page, where you can make modifications to your network settings.

As everybody knows, it is something normal to find a router with default credentials such as “admin” and “password”. And these default login credentials are not so difficult to break by a hacker.

Most changes we do on an online platform are things like setting a strong password for the wireless network or changing the network’s name, both changes being made to ensure a greater level of protection from online criminals’ malicious actions.

12.Disable Remote Access

Normally, you can access your router’s interface from a device connected to your network, but some routers allow access even from remote systems. To stop online hackers access to your router’s private settings, it is safe to disable this option in your router’s settings.

To make this change, access the web interface and search for “Remote access” or “Remote Administration“.

13. Keep your router’s software up-to-date

Consider your router’s software like any other software you have on your operating system. It may be your antivirus program or any other application running on the system. The router’s firmware, like any other software, contains flaws which can become major vulnerabilities, unless they are quickly fixed by firmware releases from the manufacturer.

The problem is that most routers don’t have the option to install the latest security updates and from time to time you need to check the official website for security fixes.

We must not forget that some of the worst security breaches came from security holes in unpatched programs and operating systems.

14. Make sure you have a good firewall

Some routers have their own firewalls that can help block hackers from accessing your computer.

In case your router doesn’t have such a firewall, make sure you install a good firewall solution on your system to watch for malicious access attempts to your wireless network.

These days, most people use the firewall solution provided by their operating systems, which is a good option. In case you are using a security software that contains a firewall, it is a good option to turn it on.

Oh! Why my Internet is Slow ?

15. Protect the devices that connect most frequently to your wireless network

Don’t leave any door open for online criminals!

Though you may have secured your router and your wireless network, you need to make sure you are not leaving any security breach that can be exploited by IT criminals. Therefore, follow some general and common sense guidelines to stay away from online dangers, like having the latest software availableinstalled on the system and the latest security patches downloaded to ensure no security hole or breach is left open to online predators.

Even more, check what devices connect mostly to your home network and make sure they have security software installed against the viruses and spyware.

And finally, use a specialized security software to protect your devices from financial and data stealing malware, cyber-criminals and malicious hacker servers.

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Making Money with Affiliate Marketing

As you browse the Internet, you’ve probably seen the term “affiliate” used somewhere in conversation. Affiliate advertising is when a company will pay you for hosting its advertisements on your webpage when they generate sales. For most affiliate programs, you would be known as the “publisher”. What is involved in order for you to make money with affiliate marketing?

Skills You Will Need For A Career In Digital Marketing

1. Niche – The first thing to keep in mind is the niche of your website. If your site is about computers and technology, then having a florist affiliated banner on your site could be less than ideal. You’re already driving traffic for your content. It only makes sense to sell content related material since the interest is already there.

2. Rules – Affiliate advertisers may have unique rules you must adhere to. For example, if you are bidding on keywords for advertising, many advertisers don’t allow you to use the company name in your bids. This means you’re not competing against the company you’re advertising for.

3. Adwords – Creating Google Adword campaigns for your affiliated advertiser could prove very beneficial, if you research keywords and budget your money wisely. This is where you create Adword ads in Google that use the affiliated link provided in order to get credit for a sale if one happens. Adwords in itself could be a boon or pit depending on your content and keyword value.

4. Banners – Advertisers will allow you to use a wide range of themed banners and sizes that best fit your website. These advertisers have strict rules regarding the coding of these banners and prohibit the editing of such.

5. Email – As well as having banners, advertisers provide email approved links you can add in order to create a marketing campaign. These links have been selected by the advertiser as approved methods and tested well in most cases.

6. Custom Support – Many affiliate agencies such as ShareASale.com allow publishers to create his or her own banner or linking method. As long as the link is featuring the advertiser’s content and is within the rules of use, a custom image or text can be used on your website or Adwords ad. This works exceptionally well if you’re advertisement is targeting a certain aspect of the company you are selling for.

7. Support Groups – There are many forums you can subscribe to that focus on helping you succeed at marketing in many forms including affiliates. Sites such as DigitalPoint.com have an excellent forum of successful individuals who share their knowledge on affiliate marketing and can help you in profound ways.

8. Free – One of the most attractive points of starting an affiliate account is that they’re free. It doesn’t cost you a dime to start your own affiliate marketing firm. The only money you will spend out of pocket is in ads created by using methods such as Adwords.

As with anything in life, the more effort you put into affiliate marketing, the more money you could possibly make. It may be difficult for beginners to find the best method of advertising that works for them, but determination and research can yield excellent results. However, this is not a get-rich-quick scheme and can take a lot of hard work and determination to be successful.

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Oh! Why my Internet is Slow ?

A slow Internet connection can be caused by any number of reasons. Below is a short list of some of the more common reasons your Internet connection may be slow. As mentioned at the bottom of this page, there is no magic program or tweak to increase your overall Internet speed, and reading this can help you know why.

Spyware

The most common reason your Internet may not be performing sufficiently could be due to spyware and viruses. Spyware interferes with your browser by taking over most of the attention of your Internet connection. It also keeps tabs on your keystrokes, which is why certain functions and actions may seem delayed. The more spyware infecting your computer, the worse the problem becomes. Make sure you have security software installed that can scan for and remove spyware.

Viruses

Viruses install computer codes (almost like a standalone program) and attempts to reproduce until it’s taken over your computer. The first sign of a virus is often in your Internet connection. This is because most viruses are sent via e-mail. The rate in which a virus multiplies causes extremely slow computer performance overall. Keep your anti-virus software running at all times.

Bandwidth hogs

Sometimes there’s nothing “bad” going on with your computer and your connection is still extremely slow. This could be caused by massive download or upload hogs running on your computer. If you’re uploading or downloading multiple files to a site or online storage, your bandwidth can be greatly reduced, causing a slower Internet connection. For programs like this, you can sometimes set a bandwidth cap in order to continue enjoying adequate Internet speeds.

Hardware

Every now and then, your modem or router is causing the issue. You can always restart your connection to see if the problem is resolved. There are also troubleshooting options with your provider. You may require a replacement for your equipment in order to solve the issue.

Slow Internet connection

If you are using a dial-up connection or a modem, this will be much slower than any broadband connection or connection you may be using at work or school. If you are using a modem, no matter how fast your computer is, the speed of the Internet will remain the same or very close and can cause some users to believe their computer is slow.

If a broadband connection is available in your area, and you would like a much more enjoyable experience on the Internet, we highly recommend getting it. See the broadband definition for additional information on this term and the broadband available.

Tip: If you are using broadband consider an alternative broadband solution if available. For example, Cable is much faster than DSL. Also, Cable companies such as Comcast offer boosts in some areas that can give your connection even more speed.

Your Internet connection may also be slow due to connection issues. You can perform an Internet speed test to determine if you are getting the speed you should be getting. If your download speed is significantly lower than the speed you should be getting contact your ISP and ask them to run a line test to determine the cause of the speed loss.

Note: Many connections (e.g. Cable, DSL, and wireless broadband) have a slower upload speed in comparison with the download speed. If you are having issues with uploading (e.g. doing a video chat) it is a slow upload speed and not the download speed.

Site or download

Depending on the web page or website you are visiting or the download you are receiving, your Internet connection may appear to be slow. The composition of the page or site, including text, images, and videos make a difference on how fast your Internet speed appears to be. 

A site such as Computer Hope, which is 90% composed of text documents loads faster than a website such as YouTube, which is mostly pictures and movies.

Downloading while browsing

If you or someone else in your house is doing more than one thing on the Internet, your Internet will appear to be slower. For example, if you or your kids are downloading a game, movie, music, or playing online games your browsing experience is going to be slower.

Slow computer

If the overall speed of your computer is slow or has performance issues with doing tasks such as watching videos, it may appear as if your Internet connection is slow. If you have another Internet device (e.g. a smartphone or tablet) that can connect to your Internet use it to test the Internet to see if is your Internet or computer having the problem.

The location of the web page you are visiting can also determine the speed of the Internet. If you are accessing a web page that is in a different part of the world, it will be much slower than a page that is hosted closer to your location.

Network or site maintenance

If your Internet service provider or the host of the website is performing maintenance on their network, computers, or network equipment, this can cause speed related issues.

Amount of visitors on a site

A server and website can only handle so many users at once. If hundreds, thousands, or millions of people are trying to visit the site at the same time, that page will be much slower and, in some cases, pages may not even respond or load.

Check your computer for a virus or malware infection. Internet speed can be reduced because viruses and malware are corrupting essential operating system files using up system resources (memory) that would otherwise be for Internet function.

How do I remove a virus and malware from my computer?

Third-party programs and tweaks

No matter how many web services or programs you see advertised, there is no magic program or tweak that is going to increase your actual overall Internet speed. 

There are some tweaks that can be done and some programs that can help with the speed of downloading certain files or increase your local network speed (not Internet). However, no software program will increase the overall speed of your Internet connection.

Some programs such as download managers can help get downloads faster by downloading bits of the downloaded file through different connections. However, this does not increase your Internet speed or browsing experience and will not work with all Internet web pages.

You or your ISP is under DoS or being attacked

Although not a common situation, a slow Internet connection can also be caused when you or your ISP is being attacked, e.g. a DoS attack. With a DoS attack, computers and routers become so overwhelmed with requests that it causes your connection to be slow or time out. If you believe you are under such an attack, contact your ISP for additional recommendations. If it is your computer that is under attack, one way to escape these attacks is to change your IP address.

Check with ISP for improved performance

Some broadband providers also offer different tiers of service. If your Internet has always been slow, call your provider and see if they offer a boost or business plan for increased speed.

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