Identity theft scams will still be very much in existence in 2017. The scams of 2016 were inconvenient and in abundance, so much so that we all ask if doing business through the internet is in any way better than the traditional manner we did things. But the internet is here to stay and as we all know, it has its pros and cons.
Still, awareness is the key. If everything is digitized which leaves us vulnerable to malware then are we better off with our little shredder system where every document we need is at hand, a physical copy we can shred at will?
What To Be Aware Of
Identity Theft and Phishing– companies are infiltrated by scammers and billions are hacked away by the touch of buttons. Consumers of these companies become victims and lose money from paid services that go undone and investments that are stolen.
Malware– related to identity thefts is malware. Victims’ internet usage by inputting data in their accounts are stolen and locked by malware users. They put these data up for ransom and wait for the users to pay up, otherwise they lock up the data and threaten all sorts of horrible things they could do with their data.
Dating Scams– this is most common in dating sites and social networks such as Facebook. The predatory date asks for financial assistance from the unfortunate victim with their “sob story” after they have taken hold of their emotions. Usually done through email, their letters are florid with grammatically wrong sentences.
Impostor scams– on another personal scale, they call parents and tell them they have taken hold of their child and will ask for ransom money. Other times, they pretend to be government asking for unpaid taxes. Another would be to ask for money because they have taken hold of their electricity or cable and they would continue to keep it cut unless they pay them.
Internet of Things (IOT)– the latest of scams has come sooner than expected and has the most frightening capability to bring the Internet to its knees. They already have done harm by overloading the internet with too much work.
Telesales– they now have the power to mimic telesales people who sell bogus items through calls or even the Internet. Nothing comes out of it after you have been scammed to pay them for these items.
Social Media Scams– Social media scams are on the rise. People who participate in social media are asked to give gifts to other people and in exchange, they will receive more in return. Again, nothing happens.
These are various scams that have happened in 2016 and will most probably continue into 2017. They are Identity Theft Scams and their related scams. Since awareness is the key we should keep our computers free of viruses and keep up with the latest firewalls for our systems. We now wonder if indeed we should go back to shredding our documents to keep ourselves safe free from these contaminants, people who are highly motivated to steal our identities for the sake of money.
