Archives - Scams


Beware of gift card scams

Some scammers posing as a legitimate company, government agency, senior manager, family member or other trusted source will ask you to purchase gift cards and send them the code in exchange for something. This could be a new job, tax benefits, lotteries or to help a good cause. However, there are no circumstances in which […]

Beware of tech support scams

Usually, whenever technical help is required, you are the one to reach out to the company, not the other way around. However, this is commonly used in many scams. Somebody may call or email you and ask you to complete some action, such as giving out your Social Security number or account login details. Never […]

Block unfamiliar phone numbers, particularly if they call you repeatedly

Phone call spam has gotten much worse throughout the 2020s, with many people receiving multiple scam calls per day. Most smartphones allow specific numbers to be blocked, which is worthwhile for any number that you don’t know and aren’t expecting any calls from.

Be careful who you donate to

There have been a rising number of instances of fake causes asking for money on the internet. It’s all too easy to make up a story and stage some photos to make it look legitimate and then steal all the donations that come in. It’s best not to donate to random people soliciting donations, and […]

Try blocking pop-up advertisements

Pop-up blockers disable windows that could possibly contain malicious code. If you’re on the internet and a message pops up saying that your computer is infected with a virus, don’t click on it. Though it’ll claim to be the solution, it’s the problem. Most modern browsers have a feature that you can enable to block […]

Beware of large ‘download’ buttons

As a golden rule, the bigger a download button is, the more it’s trying to get your attention – which overcompensates for the fact you may see something suspicious on the rest of the webpage. This is prevalent on file hosting services: You click on them to find a movie, video, song or live stream, […]