Alert…! Beware of staying in the loop of making quick money without investing any time and effort, it can make you the next target of international scammers. Better report to the nearest police station if any international call number pops up on the smartphone screen, and do not fall for the bluff. Any WhatsApp or text message, that claims to give money on pressing a thumbs up for a YouTube video, or offering unrealistically easy money, consider it is a scam.
So, it is highly recommendable to not entertain such communications, as fraudsters are setting the latest trend of luring unsuspecting users, promising them free money and swiping off the bank account in response to the trust shown. Not a single incidence but several cases have been registered by the police and the cops are just restlessly searching these cybercriminals to punish them with what they deserve.
Keep reading to get into the details of how these fraudulent work and what precautions you can opt for and don’t let such fraud happen to you.
How To Identify Such Cyber Criminals?
On a daily basis, we get several notifications from our social medial handles, job-seeking platforms, and other messages that are important to us. So, the question arises, how to differentiate between genuine and fraudsters? Read closely, these pointers are going to help identify whether the message is real or coming straight from a cybercriminal…
These are the people who are not on the contact list, yet promise to pay off in return for liking YouTube Videos or social media pages
They ask to forward gift cards or money to get a prize, loan, or other winning incentives
Frauds ask for money to find a job offer
Such accounts represent large organizations, public figures, and companies which is not verified
They claim to be from Instagram security and seeking to provide users’ IDs and password as free services for account verifications
They pretend to take the conversation off Instagram and to a less secure and less public medium like e-mails
These people claim to have some immediate family members or friends in an emergency
They don’t reveal their exact location or address
Such messages also appear from a known company or friend asking to click on a doubtful link
These accounts have a short history on their social media platform like Instagram
They lure users to claim a gift or prize or offer huge discounts on items, creating high chances for them to get caught in the fraud
How To Protect Yourself From Getting Caught In A Cybercrime?
The proverb “prevention is better than cure” teaches the best lesson especially in saving from financial fraud. So, opt for these preventive measures to stay away from cybercriminals:
Before trusting any financial broker even from your known list, verify. Always check for the documentation that a legal financial adviser holds like SEBI registration, ARN registration, and others
Do not fall for unrealistic high returns in the form of any gift, present, voucher, cashback in return for any favour, etc.
Be wise and stop being judgemental on the basis of your own biases and behaviour that become the first cause of getting trapped into fraud. Such behaviour includes your desire to become rich faster, be adventurous, every time trying to be correct, fear of missing the opportunity to gain quick money
Do not believe everything endorsed by celebrities, or a salesperson agreed to reach the place advised by you to sell his product. These are the simplest tricks to con someone’s hard-earned money
Keep learning more about people or platforms where money-related transactions are offered, especially offering unrealistic benefits.
Financial information is confidential, so maintain the confidentiality
What To Do After Being Trapped In Financial Fraud?
God forbids but if such financial frauds occur, in most cases, people shy away from registering a police complaint, feeling guilty. Do not feel guilty for any of your human nature. Senior citizens should also forget about the stigma of being incorrect before the police, their children or society and take legal action against these cyber criminals, if it happens to them. This is no other way to get your hard-earned money back from those criminals if you take this issue with concerned agency. Immediately connect to your local police station as Cybercrime department has been created to look such kind of frauds. You can also register the complaint on website https://cybercrime.gov.in/
In The End
With the increasing usage of the internet, cybercriminals are also on high alert and with the increasing process of digital transformation, the defaulters are getting more chances to fulfil their filthy desires or conning on someone’s hard-earned money. India being a developing country offers low labour costs, and several big/small companies’ call centres are popping up like mushrooms, making India a hub for misusing human talent into cybercrime. With the scam graph climbing high, common people need to be educated to help themselves against the scam designed by con artists, and by taking preventive steps and filing legal complaints in case if such incidences happen.
