Fraudsters love the internet. Its relative anonymity, its global reach, and the huge variety of ways we use it, all help make it the ideal tool for running a scam.
Whilst this might sound scary, a few simple steps can dramatically reduce the chance of falling victim. By taking just a few basic precautions - and by learning the warning signs of a scam - we can help keep the scammers at bay.
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Humans have many characteristics that make us vulnerable to being scammed. We instinctively want to help others, we're curious, we want to be liked, and we're often lazy. We're also programmed to want to trust each other. Fraudsters know this - and use it against us.
Because of this most types of fraud will share some common characteristics. If you ever spot any of the following signs from someone you don't know then be suspicious - it could save you a lot of money!
Being asked to pay upfront, to change bank details, or to pay via a money transfer service, can all be big warning signs.
Fraudsters will feign authority by impersonating banks, government agencies, well known companies, lawyers, or even the police.
Scammers may try to panic you into acting quickly, knowing the quicker you act the less time you have to realise it's a scam.
The fewer people who know, the less chance there is of someone realising it's a scam and raising the alarm.
Scams regularly manipulate our emotions, especially curiosity, empathy, hope, panic, and fear.
If it's too good to be true, it almost certainly is (sorry, you've not won that lottery!)
Not all scams have all of these characteristics, but they'll almost certainly have at least one.
And not all are sudden or from new strangers either; some fraudsters take their time waiting for the right moment to strike, such as dating fraudsters who may try to build up trust over a period of time.
Scams can take many different forms and affect their victims in many ways. There's a huge variety of scams that criminals are using and we've gathered some of the more common ones here - reading how some of these work can help us learn to spot other scams too.
Email is still one of the most popular ways that criminals spread scams online, whether that's a phishing email, a "hot tip" on some shares, a plea for help, or the classic "419" advance fee fraud, there's no end of variety to watch for!
Read about common Email scams...
Almost all scams are ultimately about criminals trying to make money, so what better way than to fool us into transferring our money straight into their bank account?
Read about common Money Transfer scams....
The psychology of social media sites, from trusting our friends to seeking a sense of belonging and social validation, make it an ideal place to try and fool us with scams such as fake adverts, clickbait, and many more.
Read about common Social Media scams...
Dating fraud is one of the cruelest types of fraud, exploiting our most personal feelings to trick victims out of their savings and with the potential to leave devastating emotional scars.
Read about Dating fraud...
Scams don't just happen online. Whether it's a door to door con artist, a phone call to gain your trust, or a scam letter through the post, there are plenty of scams still out there in the offline world.
Read about common Offline scams...
If you think that you or a family member are being scammed, what you should do next will depend on what the scam is and how far into it you are. Generally the steps would be:
Being scammed it's nothing to be embarrassed by - humans naturally have several traits that make us susceptible to fraud. Being aware that you're being scammed is the biggest step towards stopping it.