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Uzone.id – Online scams are becoming more diverse and appear to be very convincing these days. From phishing emails to social engineering tactics, online scammers constantly become the villains to the fintech industry.
Bank accounts and e-wallets are always the most targeted victims of online scams, hence users must securely protect their personal information and be aware of these online scam tactics.
It’s necessary for you, especially e-wallet users, to learn about these common and familiar online scams. Once you’re aware of their tactics, you’ll be better protected from falling into scammers’ and con artists’ traps.
As a first step, let’s take a look at these five most familiar e-wallet scams to stay safe and to protect your own money!
Phishing
This scam involves emails or texts pretending to be your e-wallet provider services. Usually, they will ask you to click some link to find out more about their (fake) information. In reality, that suspicious email or text takes you to a fake website, pretending to be the real one.
You might end up filling that fake website with all your personal info such as: full name, phone number, email, and even your password if you’re not aware enough of this tactic. As a final result, they’ll have full access to your account and take all of your penny.
If you happen to receive any emails or texts containing links that raise suspicion, just ignore it or delete those messages and keep your info safe and sound.
Fake QR Code
These scams involve creating fake QR codes that sneakily lead you to phishing websites. If you’re not aware and scan that fake code, it will lead you to a fake site and ask you to fill in all sorts of info including payment information.
To make matters worse, this approach could surreptitiously implant malware on your devices, potentially endangering the security of your e-wallet.
Scammers love sticking fake QR codes in random spots or zapping them over in emails. To avoid this scam, just stick to the QR codes from trusted sources and keep an eye out for any suspicious ones.
Fake E-wallet Apps or Websites
Scammers can also create fake apps or websites that mimic the e-wallet app or sites you use. Smart, aren’t they?
They will go all out, using logos, layouts, and even domain names that look just like the real deal to fool users. If you’re inattentive, you might download one of these fake apps and then enter your login info into their fake site. It’s very risky because it could lead you to identity theft or financial loss.
How to avoid this? Do not download e-wallet apps from illegal sources and just stick to the official e-wallet website instead.
Fake Discounts Offers and Gifts
Have you ever found a discount offer that is too good to be true? Be careful, it might be a scam!
Scammers often use fake offers related to big discounts or attractive gifts to catch the attention of users, especially during year-end discount events or Black Friday Sales.
These sneaky scammers will send text messages or emails claiming that you have won a prize, giveaway, or received an exclusive discount offer, but to claim the prize or discount, you are asked to log in to a fake site using your personal information, full name, email, phone number and password.
Another tactic involves asking users to send a sum of money through your e-wallet to claim the prize. After sending the money, instead of receiving the prize, you’ll realize you’ve successfully fallen into the scammer’s trap.
Social Engineering
Scammers can also pull off their actions through personal contacts, such as phone calls, text messages, or social media. They may impersonate e-wallet customer service representatives, friends or family members in urgent need of financial help.
They’ll build a manipulative conversation to collect your information. This tactic of digging for information is called social engineering, where victims often aren’t aware their info is being mined because the scammers are good at deceiving the victims.
Next, the scammers will ask users to transfer funds to their account or steal the user’s financial app information to wipe out the victim’s balance.
To dodge this scam mode, users should always verify the authenticity of messages or links before entering personal information or login details, and refrain from casually sharing sensitive information with anyone.
So there it is! With these explanations of five most familiar e-wallet scams, hopefully everyone is aware of the common scams that are happening these days. In the end, you are the only one who can protect yourself from online crimes targeting money stored in apps or online platforms. (Vina)
