Internet,Internet Scams

How to Avoid Falling Victim to a Nigerian Scam22 Apr

Imagine if you were promised unheard of sums of money in return for your co-operation and a little ‘help’ – you would be tempted unless you knew better.

Anybody who uses email will no doubt have received one of these emails. The gist of the emails is that there is untold fortune somewhere, stuck due to government officials, death or a political or economic situation in some far off country. Or the person wants your help in getting some money in order to leave it to charity. Or (in a new version) a female wants to get married to you if you help her retrieve her fortune.  These scams are also called 419 after the penal code number in Nigeria which applies to such scammers.

Will you ever get the money?

If you ever make the mistake of replying to this kind of email – and people globally have been victims – you will be led step by step by the scammers deeper and deeper into a hole, till you have given the money in the form of cheques or… Read More

Internet,Internet Scams

How to Understand and Avoid Email Scams21 Apr

Most people today have one or more email addresses and somewhere or the other there are databases of email addresses – this is the information that scammers use and send generic emails, knowing that a small percentage will get ‘hooked’.

While a lot of email providers now have spam filters, they don’t always work. That is why a person with an email address tends to get a lot of emails which take them to porn sites, or freeware, free stuff, phishing and more which then open the door to scammers who may be hacking into your accounts or taking your money one way or the other.

Different email scams

There are innumerable email scams – we are not even discussing email hoaxes which don’t ask for money but are simple hoaxes or chain letters.

These are some of them:

  • Free offers of goods or coupons for discounted products
  • Dire warnings of virus/Trojan attacks
  • Emails purportedly from banks which are actually fake emails
  • Fake appeals for various charities or charitable causes
  • ‘Too good to be true” job offers (specially if

… Read More