Avoiding to become an online victim scam
The world is moving everything online from businesses and just buying groceries. Everyone is moving to online where you can get things fast and efficiently. But despite the positive that come with transacting online, it also exposes people to online scams. Many people have fallen victim to online scamming over the years. Many malicious people take advantage of people. Some scammers have gone to the extent of clearing out the accounts of people and leaving them stressed.
Unfortunately, you can never be secure 100% from online scammers. But this does not mean that they are no ways to avoid scammers. You can use some of the below strategies to avoid fraudsters online. You can also get more content concerning this topic by buy research papers.
1. Whois the domain and check on the website
Before you buy a service or product online, please make a point of going and checking on their website. Make sure that their website is genuine. Research has shown that many online scammers usually have a website that is parallel to the official one. Despite the scammer’s website looking like the genuine one, the scammers don’t do a thorough job creating a website that is the same quality as the original one. Make sure you check on this.
Other ways to identify if the website is not genuine is checking their ‘about’ section. The information found is usually vague. They mostly don’t include contacts, and they use internet pictures or pictures that do not show the face. If the content is scanty and you found errors in their grammar, this is a red flag, and you should reconsider buying a product and service from them.
Whois helps you determine the information on the website, such as the date of registration. Many fake websites have dates that are different from the original websites. They can have the website registered a month ago, while the company they claim to be has been in operation for more than a decade.
2. Option for physical meetups and prior payments
The people you are dealing with must have a physical address. Genuine sellers should have no problem with addressing where potential clients can pick up products or even meet up with the client. It is not the standard with online transactions, but genuine online sellers will not have a problem making this compromise.
When you are dealing with someone and have a problem meeting up with you physically, this should raise concerns. Many startups that operate online, most of them do not have physical stores, but they cannot miss an address where they keep their products.
Another thing about online scammers who refuse to meet up, ask for money before delivering the product. It should be another red flag.
3. Check online reviews
Online reviews act as an essential resource of information. Before you decide to purchase a service or buy a product, check if the seller has any reviews online. Fraudsters can do a lot of work to convince you that they are genuine, but online reviews from actual customers give you an idea of the kind of seller you are dealing with. Customers with experience with the seller will give warnings and suggestions.
When dealing with genuine sellers, most of the time, you will have comments from previous customers. If the seller doesn’t have any reviews, consider looking for an alternative.
4. Check online presence and social media profiles
In recent times many companies have settled to have a profile on social media profiles. For startups and companies that do not have websites, check their social media presence. For online scammers, you will find their online visibility is recent, but they will have a presence that is not too recent for a genuine seller.
Conclusion
The advancement of technology and the efficiency of it has come with a lot of positive things, but it has also brought its own set of challenges. As much as it easy to fall prey to online scammers, you can also be careful and avoid being a victim. First, avoid free things on the internet when an offer looks too good to think again. Most fraudsters exploit the impulse that people have to get things for cheaper or even free.