How to avoid online Frauds

 You may think you are safe or why any fraudster may have interest in you because you are not that popular or rich. Ordinary people with no particular identities are the first target of these fraudsters. It makes fraud easy and less suspicious for delinquents. Any leak to your personal information may prove a gold mine for a criminal. Therefore, you must keep yourself updated on similar incidents to avoid such risks. Here are some of the ways through which you can protect your personal information and logins to avoid trapping in such incidents.

1-   Protect your personal information:

To avoid being a victim of any trap, the first step you have to take is to avoid sharing any personal details with anyone. The more secretive and private you are, the more secure you are from fraud. So limit your personal information, even your full name, address, CNIC, and any account details to anyone. Moreover, to lower the risk of the fall into the hands of fraudsters, don't upload such information about the internet when you are doing shopping or anything.

 Also, remain vigilant and active while using social media. Scammers can also hack your or your near one's ids to get the personal data, or they can contact you through text message, email, or any other source. Phishing is common these days for targeted attacks. Avoid sharing any personal information, including your date of birth, relative information, or other, to your social media sites. Further, you must check the privacy settings before uploading anything like that. Any reputable and 100% legitimate company or organization will not demand your identity proof through your account or credit card. Moreover, they will never initiate a call, but you have to call them first in case of any query.

2- Protect your login information:

Avoid becoming a victim of any fraud; try not to log in to your accounts in public places. Also, it would be best if you had to be careful when using the public internet. It's better not to use one to avoid such problems. Never rely upon anyone for your user name, passwords, or credit card information. Furthermore, be vigilant when uploading your personal or account details to any suspicious site for online shopping. Your passwords, PINS, and debit card information is your great asset. You may lose all if you become careless about them, even just once.

3- Guard yourself in the situation of crisis:

There are multiple apps at the play store or apple store for users who can steal information through hidden means. Therefore, you must be careful and conscious about your digital assets to avoid any misfortune. Most importantly, always gather your senses and muster up your courage in a crisis or unexpected circumstance because your small mistake can help a scammer perpetuate their crime and wrongdoings against you.

4- Don't fall for online deals ad discounts quickly:

It is important not to blindly trust any social media source, page, or group for business purposes. There are 80% of scammers trying to trap you for their criminal activities. They don't need to use your data for financial scamming. Instead, your identity can also prove helpful for them in any illegal activities, including forgery, illegitimate hotel booking, and similar ones. That's why it is essential not to pounce for every tempting deal or discount you find online.

5- Be cautious when buying or selling things online:

 It is essential to be cautious when selling or buying anything online in a peer-to-peer market. The risk of fraud is rare in the physical or natural market compared to the virtual one. Also, don't fall for those whom you are not aware of. There are numerous cases of similar frauds. For instance, Josef, a university professor, fell for a girl online, and they thought they had similar thoughts for each other. One day, she called her and pleaded for help as her mother suffered from some disease. He lent her $7000, but once he transferred the amount. After that, he never got any call from her.

 I hope this article may prove helpful for you to avoid online scammers and bank frauds these days. Let me know if you or your loved ones have faced such an incident ever.