ScamAvoid.com

Read time: 1 minute 30 seconds Scammers pressure you to act urgently. They want you to make a hasty decision without thinking it over or discussing it with others. Pressure comes in two main flavors: You will score a GAIN You will avoid a LOSS Examples of pressure to trick you into believing you'll score a GAIN: Promises of a safe investment, high profits, easy quick payback, valuable prizes. Expensive merchandise at a bargain price. Glowing (but fake ) reviews and testimonials . Limited opportunity, offer expires soon. Reassurance that you're making a smart decision Examples of pressure to make you think you're avoiding a LOSS: You'll lose all your money unless you move it elsewhere . You will be arrested and jailed. It's an emergency . You're talking with an authority figure (e.g. bank officer, attorney, government official, supervisor) ... which plays on our natural tendency to obey authority. You're talking with a romantic interest or close rela

Read time: 2 minutes 15 seconds One day you get an email or message or pop-up ad , inviting you to a once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunity: " invest today, guaranteed to triple your money . Hurry! Offer expires in 24 hours! " Investment scams are the biggest category by amount. I n the US and UK alone, over $5.3 billion was scammed from victims last year. Let's understand the difference between an investment scam and a bad investment. Any investment can lose money . But in an investment scam , your money is never invested at all. The scammer simply steals your money . We could study hundreds of different investment scams and learn specifically how to avoid each one. Yet it's far easier to simply remember the three early warning signs of a scam : 1. You're in dialogue ... 2. ... which you did not start ... 3. ... and the topic turns to money (or anything valuable) … It's a scam! Let's take a closer look at investment scams . 1. You're in

  Read time: 2 minutes and 35 seconds Imposter scams are the most common type. You would not give your money or login credentials to a scammer , thus the scammer pretends to be someone you can trust. For example: - Your bank - A business - A charity - A friend or relative on social media - A government agency - A tech support agent - A celebrity We could study hundreds of different imposter scams and learn specifically how to avoid each one. Yet it's far easier to simply remember the three early warning signs of a scam : 1. You're in dialog ... 2. ... which you did not start ... 3. ... and the topic turns to money (or anything valuable) … It's a scam! Let's take a deeper look at imposter scams . 1. You're in a dialog ... A dialog can be email, phone, text, chat, popup window, message, face-to-face conversation, or ANY interaction . A scammer doesn't want you to know they are a scammer . Scammers are experts at pretending to be someone they're not .

Read time: 2 minutes What's a 2FA (Two Factor Authentication) code ? You're logging in to your account . The program sends you a 2FA code to prove it's really you. You enter the 2FA code to finish your login . (This is the only proper use of a 2FA code : to finish a login YOU started. ) Scammers want to trick you into revealing your 2FA code . Scammer goes to a website, such as a bank , and pretends to be you. Scammer either knows or guesses your username / email . Scammer might know your password ( from phishing ), or simply click the "forgot password " link on login page. Now the scammer's screen says "enter the 2FA code we just sent you". If the scammer can trick you into revealing your 2FA code , the scammer is in and you're out of your own account! Here's how a scammer steals your 2FA code : You get an urgent call or message . " This is your bank . We found suspicious activity in your account . Contact us immediately

Read time: 1 minute 30 seconds Scammers often get your password because YOU gave it to them! You get an unsolicited email or message .  It manufactures an urgent situation, for example "Your account  is suspended - click here to fix ". The scammer's link redirects you to a  login page , which asks for your login credentials .  You've been bamboozled!  The scammer now has your login information . The "fake login page" is a classic scam! Always remember the early three warning signs of a scam: 1. You're in dialog ... 2. ... which you did not start ... 3. ... and the topic turns to money (or anything valuable) … It's a scam! Let's take a closer look: 1. You're in a dialog ... You got an uninvited email or message designed to cause panic. Panic encourages you to act quickly - without thought . Classic scam pressure tactic! Stay calm and remember the three early warning signs . 2. ... which you did not start ... Obviously, the scammer star