There are so many scammers, thieves, and crooks in the modern world. Every day these people are trying to come up with ways to gain unauthorized access to your stuff. We have witnessed bank account information accessed and money withdrawn from. There are also many cases of robbery and physical attacks. This is why it is highly advised that you should always be vigilant when accessing the internet. Personal safety is also important. There are so many ways that these criminals have perfected to perform these acts. We offer some advice on how you can keep yourself and family safe.
Paying for non-existent goods online
The scam works by attracting your attention to contextual advertising. This could, for instance, be an offer to purchase tickets with a 90% or 50% discount; a unique customer offer on a product that is currently on the market. A link is then provided where you end up leaving your contacts and details on the site. In a few minutes, a girl with a lovely voice contacts you informing you that only one item is available in stock. She tells you that if you do not want it auctioned, you need to make a 100 % deposit.
In the end, you don’t get what you purchased even if you paid in time. You will only be emailed with a knock-off having a famous brand. With tickets, you will end up having a non-existent flight. There are however ways on how to protect yourself from this scams.
Buying of goods should be done only on trusted websites. This might be websites owned by suitable carriers, authorized sales representatives, and the manufacturers.
Some of the goods offered on this websites are even cheaper than the price offered by the manufacturers. You should always know that no service or products are sold more affordable than the manufacturer’s set price. You are in a scam if for instance there is a phone on offer at 30% less the price offered on the manufacturer’s site.
Home safety
One of the most basic safety measures is ensuring that your home is safe. Keeping it free from criminals can be a good step in keeping your family safe. The home environment should also be in an excellent habitable state. This is achieved through some of the steps described below;
Installing a good surveillance camera. This will go a long way in preventing unauthorized access to your home.
Get flyers from the door. When you let them build up, it will appear as if you have been out for a long time. Burglars can take advantage of this and invade your home.
Keep the home compound clean and well-trimmed
Provide good lighting for your home. This will help avoid accidents indoors and prevent criminals at night.
Use a wireless alarm system. Providing good alarm systems can go a long way in moderating fraud. Some people install false alarms to scare criminals.
Virus attacks
Many scammers online are using a virus to attack computer and mobile users. All the victim does is to download a very harmful software on their phone/computer. Most of the virus are send to internet users as links. Once the user clicks on this links, then their device is automatically infected with the virus. Most of these attackers are targeting bank account information. Others may block essential files in your device and ask for a fee to restore them.
Actions to take include;
Turn off your phone immediately there is a virus attack. You can then remove your sim card so that there is no message sent to the bank.
When your phone is attacked, you can block your sim card and get assistance on how to manage the problem.
Install antiviruses in advance. Every device should have antivirus software to guard against any virus.
It is important to note that these measures alone will not keep you safe. They can, however, work together to limit any form of attack from an online source or a physical attacker. It is essential to have everything in place to keep yourself safe.
