In their never-ending pursuit of your money and identity, criminals are constantly coming up with new cons. Here’s a closer look at five relatively new types of scams that are becoming more common, according to experts from https://www.jokaroom.net/en/online-pokies/.
- CEO fraud and fake invoices
In recent years there has been a huge rise is CEO fraud − a scam in which cybercriminals spoof company emails to look like they are being sent from executives. This is usually an attempt to fool finance or HR professionals into executing unauthorised bank transfers or sending out confidential accounting information.
Scammers engaging in this kind of fraud also often provide a fake invoice. The invoice may look legitimate, but the account number will have been changed and the money will go directly to the attackers bank account. Always be wary if you’re being asked to urgently process an out of the ordinary payment by your CEO or other senior manager, or if you’re asked to change the bank details of an existing supplier on your system.
- Fake delivery emails
Throughout the year, you are likely to receive delivery confirmation emails in your inbox or via text message on your phone. Cybercriminals often take advantage of this. For example, news spread last summer of a scam text appearing to be from international parcel delivery firm DPD. The text informed the recipients that a delivery attempt had been made and that they need to arrange a redelivery for a fee. This kind of activity is phishing that will ask you to make payments to fraudulent bank accounts. It will also often be followed by ‘spoof’ callers from banks that will claim your account has been compromised and try to harvest all your personal data. Be alert for this kind of scam all year round – and never share your details with a courier company during the delivery confirmation and tracking process.
- Fake offers
In the post-holiday period, most of us are looking to manage our budgets and cut our spending. This makes us more likely to fall for fake offers when we do need to buy something. One of the most common tactics fraudsters use is to create a fake page for a well-known brand with a must-have, ‘never-seen-before’ offer. Such pages are set up for one reason: to harvest your data or steal your credit card information.
You may also be sent these offers on email, or more commonly via adverts within special interest groups on social media feeds (especially Facebook). If the offer is too good to be true, or you have never heard of the web shop, then take extra precaution. US casinos online will never offer you fake offers like these.
- Charity phishing scams
Charity phishing scams play directly on your conscience and can happen at any time of the year, particularly after a natural disaster or other crisis. The scams take advantage of your goodwill, your knee jerk reactions to tragic events, and involve setting up fake sites imitating existing charities. The aim once again is to commit identity fraud or steal your money when you provide your bank details to donate – facilitated by everything from fake crowdfunding pages to reaching out to you by phone.
- Cryptocurrency scams
The new year can seem like a good time to try new ideas and break new ground. This can make people especially vulnerable to trying their hand at areas like cryptocurrency investment. This is another area where extreme caution should be applied. According to recent research, cryptocurrency crime broke new records 2021 as scammers took $14 billion worth of crypto last year, nearly twice the amount that was taken in 2020.
