Online shopping, as it turns out, is quite a risky undertaking. The chances of being deceived by scammers are especially high during holiday sales.
Here are the most common techniques used by online scammers.
Fake discounts and bonuses
Very attractive offers are usually posted on fake websites. Another way of deception is fake messages about accumulated bonus points that can be spent by clicking on the link in the notification.
To protect the money in your accounts, do not click on links that make you suspicious. Another security measure is to check the website address.
Fraudulent couriers
For example, a fake courier may deliver your parcel. If you accept it, the next day a "delivery service representative" will most likely call and ask for the code from the SMS for reporting purposes.
In reality, this code is needed to obtain your personal data and perform financial transactions on your behalf.
To avoid this situation, do not provide codes from messages, even if the voice on the other end of the line sounds convincing.
Fake calls from organizations
Fraudsters may pretend to be employees of public utilities, postmen, and employees of other government organizations.
Under various pretexts, they ask their victims to tell them the code to enter their personal account. Sometimes, the fake employees even threaten that someone is trying to hack your profile.
So remember it like the multiplication table: representatives of official organizations will never ask you for such information over the phone.