Insane giveaways
Free iPhone giveaway? Win a free vacation to the Bahamas? Sounds awesome, and I bet you really want to click that associated link. But should you? Eva Velasquez, CEO and president of Identity Theft Resource Center suggests that you should ask yourself whether it seems real or not.
“Yes, there are legitimate sweepstakes and raffles and giveaways, but there’s usually an end goal there,” she says. Don’t give your personal information thinking that you’re going to win that iPhone, because most of the time, that giveaway is fake. Most companies who want to give their client or users free stuff, will only ask you to sign up for a newsletter or buy a product of their website.
The “new” old friend
Be aware that this method is very common, just like the others previously mentioned. If you receive a friend request from a person you know for sure you were already friends with be aware that it can be a trap. A scammer could’ve cloned the person’s Facebook profile, making it look like a real one.
If you accept the request, they will send you links, funny videos, or cute photos, which is the kind of thing you respond to, especially if you know the person who sends it to you. “They’re banking on the fact that you will trust the message,” says Levin.
And by clicking that link, malware could be added to your computer or phone. If you ever find yourself in this situation, before accepting that request, call your friend and ask if the profile is real and they know about it.
