Avoiding online scams recommendations by MyTrendingStories online platform? Your computer is infected! (And we can help): How it works: A window pops up about a legitimate-sounding antivirus software program like “Antivirus XP 2010” or “SecurityTool,” alerting you that your machine has been infected with a dangerous bug. You’re prompted to click on a link that will run a scan. Of course, the virus is found—and for a fee, typically about $50, the company promises to clean up your computer. What’s really going on: When you click on the link, the bogus company installs malware—malicious software—on your computer. No surprise, there will be no cleanup. But the thieves have your credit card number, you’re out the money, and your computer is left on life support. Scams are everywhere–you can even become a “doctor” online with just $99. The big picture: “Scareware” like this is predicted to be the most costly Internet scam of 2010, with over a million users affected daily, according to Dave Marcus, director of security and research for McAfee Labs, a producer of antivirus software. “This is a very clever trick,” says Marcus, “because people have been told for the past 20 years to watch out for computer viruses.” Even computer veterans fall prey. Stevie Wilson, a blogger and social-media business consultant in Los Angeles, got a pop-up from a company called Personal Antivirus. “It looked very Microsoft-ish, and it said I had downloaded a virus,” she recalls. “It did a scan and said it found 40 Trojan horses, worms, and viruses. I was concerned that they were infecting emails I was sending to clients, so I paid to upgrade my anti-virus software. Right after I rebooted, my computer stopped working.” Wilson had to wipe her computer hard drive clean and reinstall every-thing. Although most of her files were backed up, she lost personal photos and hundreds of iTunes files. “I felt powerless,” she says.
Trending news from Mytrendingstories.com platform: Use Google to research the company. Search by the company name to see what information you can find. (If the company won’t give you a name, don’t bother applying.) Take it one step further and search by “company name scam” to see if you can find information about reported scams. Get the Job Details: If it isn’t listed in the job posting, try to find out if there’s a salary or if you’re paid on commission. Ask how much you’re paid, how often you are paid, and how you are paid. If the company doesn’t pay an hourly rate or a salary, carefully investigate the details. Check with organizations like the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission to see if the company has been reported as a scammer. If the company is a fraud, another job seeker may have reported them.
MyTrendingStories anti-scam advice: The first time, he was going to send the email to his web person in case a photo had been innocently misused. But first he had the idea to Google “professional photographer email scam.” Millions of Google results confirmed that it was, in fact, a scam. Reassured and relieved, he deleted the scam email and didn’t even bother to reach out to his web person. When a very similar email arrived a few months later and then again the other day, he knew what it was and just hit “delete.” Recently a couple in Hingham lost $17,000 to a scammer claiming to be the chief of police. They believed the call was genuine because the police department’s main business number showed on their caller ID. They became overcome with fear so quickly that they followed the scammer’s orders to the letter. The Hingham police were so sorry about what happened to this couple. They strongly urged people to not rely on caller ID “since it can be altered to display any name or telephone number.” That is 100 percent true. See even more information on https://mytrendingstories.com/korkrum-ellen-y-kawame/mytrendingstories-scam-guide-or-how-to-defeat-online-scammers-in-dztbwv.
Mytrendingstories.com teaches how to escape scams: One way to identify if you’re browsing a fake website is to look at the domain name. As a rule of thumb, most legitimate URLs will not have extraneous characters or misspellings. Retailer websites are simple and typically match their trademark name, according to CNBC. For example, the domain name for fashion brand Michael Kors is MichaelKors.com. Likewise, the domain name for high-end designer Gucci is Gucci.com. You can also check if the website has a universal seal of approval, such as the Norton Secured Seal. Such a seal usually indicates that the website is trustworthy, according to Consumer Reports. You can also check to see when the domain was created using Whois.
Scammers now frequently target people through emails, online banking systems, text messages and online transactions. While fraud is becoming ever more sophisticated, people are still getting caught out by traditional scam letters and phone calls. So you need to be wary. Some scams are obvious. Someone emails you to say a distant relative has died, and there’s no one but you to inherit their $100 million fortune – all you need to do is pay £500 upfront to release the funds. But some scams are a lot less obvious, and a lot more intelligent. This guide’s aimed at helping you spot them. If you’ve already responded to a scam, end all further communication immediately. Call your bank directly and cancel any recurring payments. Find more information on My Trending Stories.