MSN – Approximately forty percent of the world population has an internet connection today, according to Internet Live Stats, using the internet for various reasons. But unfortunately, there are those who use it for tricking innocent individuals through scams. Numerous cases of online scams have been recorded and sadly, many still fall in the traps of these scammers. Here are three smart tips to detect an online scam.
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1. Unbelievable offers
Have you received a very cheap offer for an item that costs a great deal of money in the market? Offers which are too good to be true are most likely to be scams. You pay for an item for only a few dollars thinking you’re very lucky but in the end, the item doesn’t arrive and the seller disappears with your money. This is especially true with expensive items like car parts, rare collectible items, designer products and even jewelery.
2. Online sellers with limited or inconsistent information
The online marketplace serves as a great venue for online scammers. It’s so easy to register in online stores and post products you want to sell. Scammers usually post new items and provide details about them including attractive prices and freebies. However, they provide very little information about themselves or use fictitious names and addresses. They also provide you with contact details like e-mail and phone numbers which are fakes. They have no feedback and if they do, they’re usually negative.
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3. Suspicious e-mails
There are also scammers who use names and e-mail addresses of people who are familiar to you such as your friends and relatives. They would e-mail you informing that they need to loan money or that they met an accident and need financial assistance. In your panic, you would immediately send an amount to the bank account indicated in the e-mail without verifying the details first. The best thing to do is to make sure you check with the person involved to determine whether it’s true or not.
As an avid internet user, you also need to be very careful with dealing with people online. Many scammers are out there waiting for their next victim. Don’t let it be you by keeping these tips to detect an online scam in mind.
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