A study by the Better Business Bureau, Finra, and the Stanford Longevity Center have interviewed 1,408 internet consumers between 2015 and 2018 to collect data on the most common Internet scams.

Here are the most common internet scams people experience today:

1. Online store

Online store scams are among the most common. Respondents said that the vast majority have fallen into this method in portals such as ‘Craigslist’ (the equivalent of the European Wallapop), ‘eBay,’ ‘Kjiji’ and other websites that function as a bridge between sellers and buyers.

The way of operating is as follows: they list the items, collect payments from buyers, and then never send the products.

2. Fake tech support scams

They usually take the form of advertisements, emails, or pop-ups that warn Internet users that your computer may be infected with a virus. Once the users realize the message and the victim fall into the trap, scammers impersonate themselves as a technology service professional and ask the victims to hand over money in exchange for false technical support.

Scammers usually hide their real IP address when doing this.

3. Job offers scams

Through this method of deception, scammers pose as companies in search of personnel. From there, they lie to the people contacted to send money to spend money on some “make money online course,” which turns out to be fraudulent.

4. False checks or money orders

This intricate scheme is based on the fact that they send the victims a false check, have the money deposited, then request that part of the money delivered by a transfer due to a supposed overpayment be returned.

5. Raffles, lotteries and fake prizes

Through prize announcement, they deceive the victims by believing that they have won a lottery or lottery. But before they can claim their prize, they must pay a fee in advance to be able to deliver it effectively.

6. Fake debt collection scams

Similar to the collection of false taxes, this type of fraud depends on thieves. They pretend to be collectors and harass victims to pay debts that they do not really have.

7. Phishing scams

Phishing is well-known in the technological world. The scammer pretends to be a trustworthy person, such as a banker, a service provider, or a mortgage company, to deceive victims and be able to request private information that can be used against them.

8. Tax Collection Scams

In this case, scammers pretend to be a government agency that collects tax. They use threats of arrest or other scarcity to push their targets to give money. They often request their victims’ money or gift card as a payment.

Takeaway

As you can see, there are many types of scams. Sadly, this does not stop growing. Every time someone comes up with a situation where they can take advantage of people’s innocence, a new scam appears.

Therefore, we must not believe everything we see on the Internet. We must be cautious and aware that there are many people on the network who want to take advantage of any situation to get money from it.