Hoaxes, Scams, and Data manipulation are an everyday problem in life as technology becomes more widespread. According to a study done by the Los Angeles Times at least 73% of U.S adults have fallen for some sort of digital scam. In my life I’ve seen multiple different types of these online scams. These scans come in many different forms. Some people receive emails, texts, or phone calls, some scams try to sell you fake products to steal your information, and others create fake misleading images. There are so many ways to scam, and I fear they are evolving more and more every day. 

I’m pretty sure everyone around me has either gotten an unpaid toll text message or one stating your package has been lost. These two examples are scams I’ve witnessed in my everyday life on multiple occasions. These are both examples of phishing scheme’s which try to create a sense of urgency to convince someone to do something quickly, so they don’t think about it long enough. I received an unpaid toll text message about a week ago and this is a copy and paste of what the message said: 

“Your vehicle has an unpaid toll bill.

To avoid excessive late fees on your bill, please settle it promptly.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Total amount: $6.99

Payment:

(Here was a link to a website but I’ve removed it for safety purposes!) 

(Please reply Y, then exit the SMS and open it again to activate the link, or copy the link to your Safari browser and open it)”

The purpose of this phishing scam is to get you to pay money quickly without really thinking or doing research by making you scared of occurring late fees or additional charges. It works because the scammer will send the message that threatens a person to charge late fees for something people commonly do (like use a toll). This threat scares people into clicking on whatever link or number is provided and paying immediately. This website is usually a fake and can either take your personal information or even download a virus onto your device. This process doesn’t leave a lot of time for the person who is getting scammed to take their time to think about his or her previous actions. It’s meant to be quick so people feel like they don’t have time to research and make sure it’s a genuine source. 

These are very real and very scary things that happen every day to someone. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to be slowing down but instead they are adapting and evolving into new scams and hoaxes. You don’t have to fall for them though! There are so many ways you can prevent yourself from falling for digital scams and manipulation. I’ve come together with a list of things you can do to make sure you aren’t being scammed by someone. 

1- When you get an email check the sender!! Scammers use names that look real but usually have one tiny mistake or thing added in their name 

2- Do NOT click on random links from messages instead open the app/website and log in normally to check 

3- Look for messages that are trying to make you feel a sense of urgency like “ACT FAST” or “URGENT PAYMENT REQUIRED” legit companies won’t threaten you like this and it’s a tale tell sign it’s a scam 

4- If something requests money out of the blue that’s a sign it may be a scam

5- Do not give out your personal information like your social security number, passwords, or banking information. Real companies have this information and wouldn’t ask you via a random text message. 

As these scams are becoming more popular, I want you guys and your information to be safe. Though I’m sure scams will never go away there are ways you can prevent yourself from falling victim to them! If it looks suspicious trust your gut! I hope you’ve been able to learn some ways to protect yourself from falling for online scams. 

Thank you so much for reading I hope you have a wonderful day and most importantly be safe!