Scamrisk is an independent website that educates consumers about scams, identity theft, and other online dangers. We provide free reports, scam alerts and unaffiliated reviews. According to BBB Scam Tracker, employment scams took the top spot for the riskiest scam in 2018. Those looking to work from home can become victims of these types of scams by believing they are 
legitimate companies. When a call appears on your Caller ID screen with “Spam Risk,” it’s best to ignore it.
Scams
A scam is a dishonest or illegal scheme to defraud, trick, inflict damage or steal from people. If you have lost money to a scammer or given your personal information, it’s important to act straight away. There are steps you can take to minimise the impact of a scam and protect yourself in future.
If you’ve been contacted unexpectedly by phone, email, text or direct message asking for your personal information or money, don’t respond. Remember, banks will never contact you by phone or text to ask for your personal details. Be wary of any website that does not use secure connections (the’s’ in https means the site is secure). Legitimate online stores will have detailed contact information, including physical addresses and phone numbers.
The number of online shopping scams increased during COVID. These involve scammers setting up fake retail websites, often with sophisticated designs and layouts and possibly stolen logos from authentic retailers. They also use social media to advertise the fake sites and lure unsuspecting shoppers. The sites often appear legitimate and offer luxury items such as clothing, jewellery or electronics at a low price. Scammers often ask for payment via a pre-loaded money card or wire transfer. This type of transaction can be difficult to reverse and you are unlikely to receive the goods you have ordered.
Employment scams topped the list of riskiest scams in 2018, moving up from third place last year. This type of scam involves scammers trying to trick people into handing over their personal details such as address, date of birth, bank account details and Social Security numbers. They then use this information to steal their victims’ identities.
Employment scams target people from all age groups, but those aged 18-24 are the most susceptible. They lose an average of $92 from these scams, followed by those in the 25-34 age group and then those aged 45-54. The scams are also easy to commit: all a scammer needs is an email address, a name and a phone number. In addition, they can take advantage of people’s fear that they may lose their job, or worry about the cost of living and rising debt levels.
Scam Alerts
Scammers have come up with a variety of ways to try to steal your money and personal information. They can contact you via phone, text message, email, social media or door-to-door. They can impersonate federal law enforcement officials and demand cash, gift cards or personal information. Legitimate federal law enforcement officers will never contact members of the public or medical practitioners to demand any form of payment and will only notify you of a legitimate investigation or legal action in person or by letter.
Some of the more common scams involve employment or money generating opportunities. In fact, according to the Better Business Bureau’s 2018 Scam Tracker Risk Report, employment scams ranked as the highest-risk type of scam in 2022. That’s no surprise, as job seekers are especially vulnerable to this type of scam because they often have to share a lot of personal information with potential employers.
Another common scam involves people contacting you to offer fake tech support. These scams often claim to be from your computer’s software provider, such as Microsoft or Apple. They then use a software program to ‘hack’ into your computer and gather information about you, such as your online banking activity. They can then sell that information to identity thieves and other criminals.
Other common scams are people claiming to be from a government agency, such as the Department of Health and Human Services or the Drug Enforcement Administration. These fraudsters will often call or text you to inform you that your computer is infected with a virus and that you need to purchase their software to fix it. They will also ask for your personal information such as your Medicare number or SNAP EBT card and PIN.
You can protect yourself from these types of scams by installing anti-virus software on your devices and checking Scamwatch’s Where to Get Help page. Also, always make sure that any website you visit is using a secure connection (the ’s’ in https). Beware of websites that only provide limited or fake contact information. Legitimate online stores will typically have detailed contact information and a physical address.
Reviews
Scam risk generates essentially the absolute most recent and fresh information about online scams. It aims to assist individuals to definitely not end up being a victim of the net world and make essentially the most truly effective decision. It provides free reports and unaffiliated reviews to ensure that people can be safe from internet scams.
For instance, if someone is looking for an internet course on how to earn passive income, Josh will write a review of that course and compare it with his digital real estate business model. This has helped many people to avoid scams and instead find a legitimate work at home opportunity. This is one of the most important things that people should do before joining any program online.
Scams are deceptive schemes or tricks to cheat someone out of something, usually money. They can be done by phone, email, text or in person. Criminals are constantly trying to find new ways to steal consumers’ personal information and cash. Learn about common scams so you can be alert and stay safe.
Phone scams are a popular way for criminals to steal your information. They may call you claiming to be from your bank or another financial institution and ask for details like your account number, Social Security number or other confidential information. They can also pressure you into making purchases or sending them money.
Online scams can be equally dangerous and difficult to spot. Many scammers use fake websites that appear legitimate but can actually infect your computer with a virus or steal your personal information. To avoid being tricked, always read the terms and conditions of a website before downloading anything. Also, don’t click on links in emails or texts that you didn’t request. Modern scammers can even “spoof” their caller ID to make it look like a trusted number.
Another common form of scam involves stealing company funds or other assets. This is often known as a BEC attack. It involves convincing an employee at a business to transfer large sums of money to an international account under the pretext of paying an invoice, honoring a contract or some other reason. These attacks are often targeted at assistants or secretaries and personnel in the accounting departments of SMEs and SMIs.
Other types of scams include advance fee fraud, where scammers ask for money upfront for some type of service or good. These could be a membership fee, participation fee, administrative or handling fee or taxes. The money is never sent and the scammers leave victims with nothing.
Scams can also target businesses by pretending to be government agents. These scammers threaten to suspend business licenses, impose fines or take other legal action unless businesses pay fake fees for government services or registrations. Businesses have also been tricked into paying for nonexistent workplace compliance posters and for fees to renew business grants.
