How to Identify an Online Scam
Unfortunately, some people will always try to take advantage of others. The old saying that "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" applies on the Internet; a Nigerian prince will not suddenly make you rich. Some online scams are not as obvious. You can protect yourself if you investigate the source of any offer or request for information.
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Instructions
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Check the website or email that you think may be a scam for information about the source. Look for an "About" or "Contact Us" page. Legitimate companies will tell you exactly who they are and how you can get in touch with them. Determine whether the company has an offline address that you can can send mail too.
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Type URLs into your address bar, or use your own bookmarks, instead of clicking links that you receive in an email. For example, if you get an email from someone claiming to be your bank, do not click on the link. Numerous scams cleverly design websites to look like the real thing. Do not enter any identifying information on websites that you go to from your email, unless you are certain it is the actual company.
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Look for signs of security on websites that ask for personal information or financial details. If a site is secure, it should have an "https" URL, not an "http" URL. You will also see a "lock" symbol on secure sites.
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Check if the person asking you for personal information is masquerading as someone else. Your bank will never send an email asking you for the password to your online banking account. The bank already has it. Do not give out other information that an entity should already have. If you are uncertain whether a request for information is legitimate, call the company using a number that you already have. For example, call the number on the back of your credit card to speak with a representative of your credit card company.
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Use search engines to find out about online requests or offers that you are uncertain about. If you type the name of the company or person making you the offer followed by "scam" into a search engine, you may find reports confirming that the offer is a scam.
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