As you have probably deduced from the main theme of this blog, it's all about Preventing Breakdown And Scam In Interpersonal Relationships.
In this particular instance, we will endeavor to open our eyes to warning signs of scam activities that we need to know about for our own safety.
That includes protecting our financial base and savings too.
We will be guided by the following linked subtopics and you can flow with the discussion by tracking them:
What Is Scam?
Scam.
The term is not new.
It's indeed a household name to security authorities and experts.
It's the business of unscrupulous elements and the nightmare of anti-fraud professionals.
Wisdom begins with fearing it.
Ignore it at your own detriment.
Believe me, this is no time for an I-don't-care attitude.
Nonchalance is like an ostrich burying its head in sand while its backside is exposed for everyone to see - and possibly abuse.
Must you wait to be stung before you believe that the scorpion is poisonous?
Granted, one may occasionally get away with ignoring certain matters or treating them with levity.
Not when it concerns accepting realities you need to combat head-on for your own safety, though.
Scam is definitely not an activity you should treat with kid gloves.
I have seen guys who never took them serious, and ended up paying huge prices for doing so.
In any case, this can be compared to being advised about the true current prices of commodities in the market.
Whether you believe them or not, when you go out to buy, you get to face their reality.
Likewise, it doesn't matter which side of the divide you pitch your tent with.
Irrespective of your opinion on this issue, there's one fact you can't deny:
The menace exists.
It's poison is real.
And it can be devastating when it stings.
So, what is a "Scam"?
If someone trucks you to pay them for a non-existent employment - you have been scammed.
If somebody promised to help you to secure a contract for a fee, it's a scam!
To hit the nail on the head, a
scam represents operations and activities that are not above-board, true or honest.
It means the action and motives are fraudulent and designed to deceive somebody to give away their money, favour, or assets.
In order words, a scammer is a fraudster who specializes in defrauding other people.
How can they do that and get you to fall into their trap?
That's what we are going to find out in this article.
Let's proceed.
Why People Fall Into Scammers' Traps
Here comes a set of important details you need to watch out for.
Ignoring them is why we fall prey to fraudulent antics in the first place.
1. Naivety and unawareness:
I believe that ignorance is always a recipe for disappointment, failure, and loss.
Almost everyone has heard about the words "fraud, 419, scammer", you can bet.
Nevertheless, most of us lack indepth or adequate knowledge on the subject.
That suggests that we are therefore unprepared or ill-equipped to combat it.
For example, most guys are not aware of the constantly-evolving latest scamming techniques and tactics being utilized against them.
2. Ambivalence:
This one is a very serious lapse.
It's actually unfortunate how some of us take this issue lightly.
As a matter of fact, the attitude most people adopt is what I call "3rd-Party Mentality Posture", which means:
- we have seen a case or two where it happened to somebody (some of them we may even know personality)
- yet we somehow feel that it can't happen to us and so we fail to be on our guard or take precautions
3. Greed:
More than anything else, here's the most singular weapon a scammer uses to get preys.
Look at it as if it were any guy fishing, who needs a bait to hook their fish.
Greed is that bait.
It's the golden fleece they dangle before the eyes of their prospective preys in order to lure them into their nets.
How does this work out?
They play upon desires for material possession by promising unusually high returns or rewards, and by so doing successfully tempting people to take risks.
4. Emotional manipulation:
They manipulate your emotional vulnerabilities to get what they want.
By using tactics such as creating a sense of urgency or playing on your fears, they pile pressure on you to becloud your judgment.
5. Misplaced Trust:
Once you get drawn into their web of lies and fake posturing, you begin to believe they are genuine and develop misplaced trust in them.
Indeed, deceptively gaining people's confidence is their stock-in-trade, because they characteristically pose as trustworthy individuals or organizations.
In short, being too trusting makes individuals more likely to fall for scam offers which seem too good to be true.
6. Lack of skepticism:
For lack of better words, being too easy to convince is a major weakness scammers also capitalize on.
If you are not skeptical enough to question or suspect unsolicited offers or requests, you can easily become more vulnerable to scams.
7. Financial Fix:
No doubt about it: persons who are experiencing financial difficulties are usually more desperate and susceptible to scammers who overwhelm them with quick-fix promises.
8. Lack of technical knowledge:
A lot of innocent persons become vulnerable, confused and intimidated because scammers often use complex technical jargon to exploit them.
9. Urgency Tactics:
Finally, unsuspecting targets fall prey to fraudulent manipulations due to excessive pressure.
By this I mean that fraudsters often railroad them by creating a sense of urgency.
They claim that an offer or opportunity will expire or lapse very soon and by doing so they rush people into making rash financial decisions (payments).
Absolutely there can be no smoke without a fire emitting it from somewhere.
Nothing happens just like that: something usually causes it.
Also, without a single doubt, there are always signs going ahead of most sçam activities.
We just fail to notice them or we ignore them, out of carelessness or ambivalence.
Let us identify some of these signs now.
1. Unwanted and unsolicited messages
or calls which pointedly ask for personal information
2. Quick money-making offers
that seem too good to be true (yet actually fraudulent if investigated)
3. Mounting of pressure
on someone to compel them to:
- make fast decisions purportedly to beat a closing window
4. Requests for money
or bank details under the guise of rendering beneficial service and promised rewards or returns
5. Messages
riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes.
6. Communications
featuring unfamiliar sender identity or sender's information
7. Emails and texts
containing unusual links or attachments
8. Interactions or Communications
which definitely request for confidential information, such as passwords or PINs.
1. Be Skeptical And Careful
Be naturally suspicious about calls from strangers.
Exercise serious caution and demonstrate skepticism if someone contacts you unexpectedly and asks for your personal details.
Give no personal information if you are not sure that the requesting source or authority is valid or genuine.
2. Take Your Time Before Deciding
No matter how attractive or juicy the offer may appear to be, delay.
Think about it carefully.
Refuse to be rushed into committing yourself to making payment or releasing any information.
3. Verify The Caller's Legitimacy
When receiving unidentified or suspicious messages or calls, try to authenticate the sender's identity by carefully checking their email addresses or phone numbers for authenticity.
4. Fraudulent Links
Watch out for fraudulent links.
Before you click on anything, hover over them to see where they will take you.
You will notice that when you move your mouse over a link without clicking, a small preview of the website's address (URL) will appear at the bottom of your screen or near your cursor.
This will enable you to check if it is:
- a fake or malicious site that's designed to steal your personal information or infect your device
- or if it actually leads to a trusted website
5. Precautions
If a url or link looks strange, contains wrong spellings, or doesn’t match the website it claims to be, pause and apply your breaks.
For example:
If a link that claims to be from your bank instead shows a website bearing a different domain name, straightaway you can suspect it might be a scam.
Effects Of Scam
Some of the impacts of this negative activity are:
1. It leads to loss of money or bank savings
2. It results in identity theft,
abuse and misuse of personal information details
3. It causes anxiety and stress
4. It creates loss of trust:
Remember, once bitten twice shy, meaning that if you've been taken advantage of or hurt once you will find it very difficult to trust or take risks again.
5. It damages victims' credit score and financial reputation.
6. It requires enormous amount of time and effort to fix the problem.
7. It creates possible legal issues
to address situations whereby personal information is misused.
Now that we know what scam is and how to read its warning signs, let's move forward to identifying how to tackle it.
1. Ensure that you never share your personal
or banking information and details with strangers.
2. Be skeptical of deals
that seem too good to be true.
Actually, you should habitually reject all get-rich-quick offers: they are nothing but scam.
3. Also, you must make sure
you always use very strong, unique passwords for your online accounts.
Absolutely avoid sharing your passwords or bank information with unknown or unverified callers and strangers.
In fact, I strongly advise you to establish double authentication procedure where available.
4. Always ensure
that your phone, PC, other communication software, etc, remain up-to-date or regularly updated.
As a matter of necessity and security, you should install security software and run regular scans.
6. Before you commit yourself or resources,
you must confirm all incoming requests by contacting the official sources directly.
For example, if you receive a caller claiming to be from your bank, hang up and call Customer Service number to confirm.
7. Likewise, remember that ignorance is never a defence but a loophole.
Therefore you should ensure that you educate yourself about common scams tricks and tactics.
8. Similarly, equip yourself with anti-,fraud authorities call lines
and communication channels.
As soon as you become suspicious of a call or request, hasten to report it to the appropriate authorities or consumer protection agencies.
9. Moreover,
in all online and offline interactions, communications or messages, look out for:
You will be wise enough to beat a quick retreat if you discover any of these signs anywhere.
Conclusion
As we have discussed, scams are specifically designed by criminally-minded characters to deceive and trick unsuspecting innocents to give up their money, information, or other valuable resources.
It involves a clever use of deceptive marketing, false promises, and emotional manipulation to lure victims into their traps.
To defeat these negative activities, we explored ways to identify the warning signs and how you can protect yourself against them.
It is my sincere hope that this article has somehow added quality to your desire to gain awareness about scammers and how to protect yourself against their antics.
We will discuss more practical strategies to combat this scourge in subsequent
articles.
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