Scam Alert: Easy Ways to Spot and Avoid Scammers
If you want to avoid scammers, then you must read this brief article and watch the videos too.
What is a Scam? A scam is designed to trick you into giving away your money, personal details, or data by offering an attractive deal or false information.
I think it is time we know what a scam really is. Is overpromising and underdelivering some kind of scam? Is it just when tricks are played on one to get his money that is a scam? Let me know what you think.
That aside, you need to be careful not to become a victim of scammers.
Scammers are getting increasingly sophisticated in their attempts to get your money or personal details. Be alert and protect yourself from being scammed by following our tips.
1. Be 3 Steps Ahead of Scammers
First, you need to learn how they work. There 3 things you need to know to be able to smoke out anyone trying to scam you. Watch this.
2. Learn to spot a fake platform
Second, you need to know how to differentiate legit from fake. Scammers can fake many things, even down to reviews to make their platforms look legit. Knowing how to tell fake from legit will help you avoid being scammed online. Watch this.
3. Learn to filter scammers out of your projects
When it comes to projects like in many other endeavors, we need to watch out for people coming to scam us. There are a few ways to detect them before the project will even begin. In the video below, I outlined 3 ways to fish them out.
4. Learn to report scammers and possibly get your money back
Another thing to do is to try to make effort to report scammers. If we all report scammers for attempting to scam us or scam us, their activities will be exposed even when they are not caught. In the video below, I outlined just how anyone can do this.
Do this to Avoid Scammers
Block unwanted calls and text messages. Take steps to block unwanted calls and to filter unwanted text messages.
Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn’t expect. Legitimate organizations won’t call, email or text to ask for your personal information, like your Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers.
If you get an email or text message from a company you do business with and you think it’s real, it’s still best not to click on any links. Instead, contact them using a website you know is trustworthy. Or look up their phone number. Don’t call a number they gave you or the number from your caller ID.
Resist the pressure to act immediately. Legitimate businesses will give you time to make a decision. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer.
Know how scammers tell you to pay. Never pay someone who insists you pay with a gift card or by using a money transfer service. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.
Stop and talk to someone you trust. Before you do anything else, tell someone — a friend, a family member, a neighbor — what happened. Talking about it could help you realize it’s a scam.
Do a little research on the platform or individual you are getting involved with. Check out review videos on youtube, Q&A websites like Quora, Nairaland, Medium etc.
