No one wants to fall victim to an online scam. The key to avoiding them isn’t staying off the grid and foregoing any internet use for the rest of your life. The key is to take certain precautions whenever you’re online. What precautions should you take?
1. Read Emails Carefully
You never know when you could become the target of a phishing scam. A phishing scam is a fraudulent email that attempts to get you to share sensitive information, like an account password or your credit card information. So, if you get an email asking you to share sensitive information that you otherwise wouldn’t share, do not respond — it does not matter who the sender is. These emails are often disguised as emails from trusted sources, like your bank, a utility company or the government.
These are some warning signs that you’re reading a phishing email:
- The email has a generic greeting (for example, “Dear Customer”) instead of listing your name or account number.
- The email has been sent by a company that you are not connected to (for example, a bank that you do not have an account with).
- There are spelling mistakes and grammatical errors in the email.
- The sender’s email address does match the company’s official email address. You can confirm this with a simple Google search.
- The sender is claiming that you have a payment/billing issue that must be resolved immediately.
If you’re not sure whether the email sent to you is legitimate or a phishing scam, go into your search bar and look up the company’s official website. Find the customer service number and call it. Discuss the email with a representative. If the email is legitimate, the customer representative will have a record of it and be able to discuss your options on how to resolve the issue. If the email is a fraud, they will let you know to ignore it. This warning can also help the company save other customers who are being targeted by scammers.
2. Only Download Authentic Apps
Scammers can trick people into downloading malware onto their smartphones, computers and tablets through apps. So, if you’re not careful, you could accidentally download an untrustworthy app and infect your device.
What can you do to avoid this situation? These are some ways to make sure that your apps are authentic and safe:
- Do not download apps through third-party app stores. Major platforms like Google Play Store are safer choices for finding apps, especially because they have built-in security features that check for potential malware.
- Check for signs of app certification. Apps that are not certified may not be secure or trustworthy.
- Do not download apps that are brand-new and have very few downloads. You’ll want to pick apps that have large audiences that are satisfied with their user experiences.
- Read the app reviews. People who have been scammed will complain in the review section.
In addition, you should sign up for a malware removal and protection software. Whenever you download an app that you deem trustworthy, you should still run a virus scan with the help of this software. This will catch signs of malware right away, so you can uninstall the app and mitigate any damage to your computer.
3. Research Online Loan Providers
There may be an occasion where you will want to apply for a personal loan online. Maybe you’re facing an urgent expense and the savings in your emergency fund are too low to handle it. Maybe you don’t have an emergency fund at all, and you can’t wait until your next payday to cover the expense. An approved personal loan could give you enough funds to respond to the emergency quickly and move forward.
When you’re applying for a loan online, you’ll want to make sure that the provider is safe and legitimate. After all, you will need to share sensitive information (like your bank account information) during your loan application process. You don’t want that information to get into the wrong hands.
So, how can you tell that an online loan provider isn’t legitimate? Learn these 7 warning signs of online loan scams so that you can keep your sensitive information safe. If you notice any of these signs, you can stop what you’re doing, leave the site and search for a better alternative. Don’t ignore them. Going through with the application despite the warning signs could leave you open to problems like identity theft and financial fraud. Plus, you likely won’t get the loan that you’re looking for. You won’t even be able to respond to your emergency expense properly.
Take a few extra minutes to double-check your emails, apps and online loan providers. The effort is well worth the reward: not falling for an avoidable scam.