The Five Most Common Online Scams in 2022 And How To Avoid Them
Online fraud scams are increasingly common, with scammers taking over $47 billion per year from unsuspecting individuals. Just as the general public becomes aware of one scam, another takes its place. Scams are becoming more convincing, and it’s harder than ever to judge what’s real and what’s not.
To help you identify if you are the victim of a scam or fraudulent scheme, here’s what to look out for and the top online scams in 2022.
How to identify an online scam
Time Sensitive: Most scams will include a tight deadline. This pressure to meet a deadline stops people from thinking clearly and prevents you from verifying with an official. If you receive a message that requests money urgently, it could well be a scam.
Emotional: Scams will try to appeal to your emotions, not your logic. They may claim to have information that would be embarrassing if released, pretend their safety is in question, or threaten to have you evicted, shut off your water or close an account.
Ask you to verify personal information: Official businesses will already know your information and will ask you to prove your identity with an existing security question. A scam will ask you to confirm your identity with personal information because they don’t already have it.
Includes a link: Most scams will try to gain access to your device but need you to let them in. Usually, a scam will include a link to click, which will unwittingly allow fraudsters access to your computer and all the information.
Sentences and Grammar: Most scams will not have the same quality-control checks as official business communication. They may have misspellings, bad grammar or incorrect structure. Check for missing capital letters, no paragraph breaks and bad sentence structure to identify a scam.
By identifying scams and fraudulent claims, you can protect yourself online. Make sure you check every aspect of a message before clicking any link. If possible, do not click a link. Instead, head to the official website in your browser and then access your account. Any legitimate communication will appear here.
Top 5 online scams in 2022
Scams are continually evolving and adapting to new trends as new technology emerges. However, cybersecurity firms and government agencies closely monitor scams and have helped identify the most common scams.
Phishing
A widespread scam is usually an email message requesting personal information, money, or will download malicious software onto your device. The FBI noted the number of phishing scams notably increased in recent years.
Charity scams
Charity and disaster fraud scams are on the rise, targeting people’s sense of social responsibility. Again, the FBI reports increasing scams surrounding the Ukraine war and COVID-19.
Social Media shopping fraud
Promoting free products, competition wins, or highly-discounted sales for popular products are usually scams. Social media shopping scams doubled last year and will increase again this year.
Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency scams
Bitcoin and cryptocurrency scams stole $14 billion in 2021, which could rise in 2022. Scammers requesting bitcoin or promoting digital currency schemes target the “get rich quick” mentality.
Online Dating scams
Tinder Swindler scams are on the rise in correspondence with the popularity of online dating. Cyber security software company Norton found that online dating fraud has tripled in recent years, with 2022 set to be a record year.
If you think you have already fallen victim to one of these scams, reach out to us to discuss how you can get your money back. We specialise in recovering assets stolen in online fraud scams, no matter how much you lost.
