Scam Alert!

If it looks too good to be true, it usually is. I saw a post on Facebook recently which appeared to come from the local bus company, saying they were offering unlimited travel with their new travel card for six months for only £2.00. There was even a picture of someone holding their card. It seemed to be posted by the bus company, and looked really convincing. However, I was still wary, so I decided to go to the bus company's website, and of course, it was a scam

The internet is a wonderful tool, but like any tool, in the wrong hands it's a weapon. There are criminals who use it to separate you from your cash and steal your identity. In fact, there are compounds set up with people whose job it is to lure you in with scams and steal from you. (You can read about Scam Centres on Wikipedia)

The increase in the use of AI and Deep Fakes makes it possible to make almost anything seem real.

So, should you give up social media and being online? We all have knives in our kitchens that we use for cooking. They can be a weapon in the wrong hands, but if you use them safely, they are tool. The same applies to the internet.

Who is responsible for protecting you online?

At the end of the day, it's really down to you. The internet is so vast it is impossible to police adequately. Platforms do have a responsibility to protect you, and there is continual debate about social media platforms monitoring content. A lot can be done by the companies through automated systems, but the scammers are also spending all their time trying to get around any roadblocks put up.

With the return of Trump to the White House, we are likely to see even less control of social media, and more issues with facts and truth. Already, Facebook has decided to abandon their fact-checking strategy and people are leaving X (formerly twitter) in droves since Elon Musk bought it 

A note of caution about using Google – Google works on a very complicated code (algorithm) that searches for information. It is designed to find you the information you are interested in, so finds results it thinks are relevant to you. Google tracks everything you do online to inform its search. However, this also means that if you regularly look at only one side of an argument, you will increasingly be presented with more information in the same vein, rather than opposing sides of the argument. This is known as confirmation bias. You can read more here. To actually make a proper decision, you really need to weigh the evidence for and against, before deciding.

You can also use a search engine like DuckDuckGo which does not track you. 

How do I spot scams?

• Common sense is vastly underrated, but if it seems like a deal is too good to be true, then it probably is fake. Facebook is notorious for fake 'Supermarket giveaways and other forms of scam. These are generally designed to gather likes (You can read about Like farming here.)
• NEVER click on the links in any email or post if in any doubt. Rather, go directly to the site – search for it.
• Look at the language and spelling – many scam emails and posts have poor spelling and grammar, often because they originate from non-native people.
• If you're looking at a website, and trying to work out whether it is fake, find the contact pages and about pages. The authors should be reputable, and their information easy to find. The company should have a physical address and contact information. (Bear in mind this could also be false, but it's a good starting point.) Check the Privacy Policy and terms of use – I've found fake sites which have blatantly copied these from another site, not changing the company names in the statements.
• Adverts are a good guide – for a site to operate for free, it usually needs adverts to pay for it. The presence of adverts doesn't mean it's false, but watch out for sites where the adverts get in the way of the text, or the adverts are sensationalistic and misleading. We use advertising to help fund our work online. 
• Research the site / company: Use a search engine to find out what other information is available. Use sites like TrustPilot  and look at online reviews.
• Does the site have links to other resources and sites to back up what it's saying (Bibliographies are a good example of this) There should be evidence to support what is said on the site. (We include links to other resources for you to verify what is written here)
• Use fact checking sites like Snopes and BBC Verify  which exist solely to check that information online is correct.

What to do if you spot a scam?

If it is on a social media post, leave a comment to say it's a scam, and report it to the website.

Always report scams and scammers, to the site you found them, and to governing bodies.

• Action Fraud: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/reporting-fraud-and-cyber-crime
• National Cyber Security Centre: https://report.ncsc.gov.uk/
• Europol https://www.europol.europa.eu/report-a-crime/report-cybercrime-online
• FBI https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber
• Internet Crime Complaint Centre https://www.ic3.gov/
• In South Africa, the CyberSecurityHub https://www.cybersecurityhub.gov.za/

Protecting yourself from scams:

• If you're using social media, keep your personal information private (check the settings. If you don't know how to do this, search online for the answer. There are usually Youtube videos telling you what to do)
• Never use your real date of birth on social media or any site besides banks and official sites. (Always use the same date though- give or take a few months or days or years - so you can remember it.)
• If you shop online, use a service like Paypal, or a bank account dedicated for online shopping and keep the balance low, or a credit card, which offers some protection from scams.
• Don't give your bank details to anyone who phones and asks for them, or who requests them online.
• Look at the web address (URL) Only official government sites can use the .gov part of the address. Sites that are secure, such as banking, should always be HTTPS not HTTP (the S is an extra layer of security) Sometimes you also see an icon of a padlock.
• Use good antivirus protection, and keep it up to date. AVG is free and Windows has built in software you can use.
• We have previously written blogs about creating secure passwords , doing a social media security audit and keeping yourself safe online which include more tips 

There are a large number of types of scams online, too many to go into here, but you can read more here:

• https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/online-and-text-scams
• https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams
• https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/fa/fraud/online-fraud/

The internet offers so much that makes our lives easier, so rather than giving up social media, cultivate knowledge and a healthy level of scepticism!

'If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it is a duck' doesn't necessarily apply online. That quacking duck may well be a decoy!

Stay safe!