Social Media Scams - The Shadows Of Life #6

Social Networking has surely revolutionized the internet age and it has made our lives easier and more efficient. Most of us use social networking platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc. on a daily basis because it helps us connect to people, communicate faster, promote ideas and do many more things. However as with everything, the wonderful world of social media has a dark side. One of the problematic aspect is the potential for social media scams which affects millions of people every year. However if you aren’t aware of this issue, with some knowledge of what to look out for you will be able to protect yourselves from becoming a victim of a scam.

​In the last one year India witnessed a 156% rise in social media scam and is now the second most targeted country in the whole world for cybercrime. It has been reported that 94% of these scams were spread through manual sharing of links leading to fraudulent websites. India’s increasing social media population is becoming a favoured target of scammers. Scammers are using social media and taking advantage of the trust people have in their own social circles to spread their scams, fake links and phishing. Cyber Security is improving and getting better day by day but so are the malwares and computer viruses.

Listed below are the top methods used by scammers:

• Phishing - These are fake emails sent usually from trusted sources such as your bank or from online shopping websites. The emails would state that there has been an error in your transaction and would ask you to click on a link that would take you to a fake web location which looks exactly like the original one, where you would be asked to input your login credentials and other personal information. These can then be used for identity theft and monetary theft.
• Hitman Scam - These are usually in the form of a violent and threatening message from an unknown source for example: 

These scams come in various types and it might also include some genuine information about you obtained from your social media account to intimidate you and make it sound realistic. That’s why don’t put too much personal information out there.

• Donation Scam - These also attack through emails and messages. It usually is an emotional message sent from the government, an NGO or a charity organization asking you to make a donation to help the underprivileged community and would promise your donations would be used to provide them with food and other necessities. But of course it would lead you to a look-alike website and all the donations would go into the cyber criminal’s account.
• Romance Scam – This scam takes place on social networks like Facebook and other dating websites. We tend to drop our guards and leave aside any logical analysis since this one addresses our subjective self and not our rational side. This scheme might go on for several months in order to gain the trust of the victim. The scammer would then tell you that an unpredictable event has occurred and the scammer has an urgent need for money and after they get the money they might ask again for more. They might use a fake profile of someone you know or in some cases hack into their account and message you. In a recent case a woman lost roughly Rs. 135,000,000 after meeting a conman on a dating site.

These are just a few of the thousands of ways one could be scammed. There are new ways created each day and scammers are getting smarter and better with time. 

A few things you should keep in mind:

• Do not open links sent to you from unknown numbers or sources since opening them might start downloading malicious software on your device. These software’s might make your computer slow, make random windows pop up whenever you launch your web browser. Some software’s such as key logger can track whatever text you input into your device and send that to the cyber-criminal. This way the criminal could get access to your personal information such as passwords and credit card details.
• Install a good antivirus software on your device. Make sure it’s not a fake software and don’t download free software’s from the internet. You might get a pop up saying “You have been infected!! Download antivirus XYZ right now to protect your computer!!” These might lead to unwanted malware such as a Trojan being installed on your device. Also make sure you keep your antivirus software updated to get protected from any new types of ransomware and malware.
• Make sure that if you are making an online transaction, the URL of the website should have ‘https//’ and not just ‘http//’. The ‘s’ stands for secured.
• Prevent opening emails that say you’ve won a certain amount of money or a free trip to an exotic location. You might end up losing money in mandatory processing fee and transfer costs and pay more for additional services, leaving you broke in the end and without any of the promised money or trip.

If you ever are a victim of a scam report it immediately since it can take time to track down a scammer or the scammer might be located at a place from where it would be difficult to get justice.

​Educate other people especially those who are new to the world of social media with all that you know about cybercrime and save them from being a victim of a scam since cybercrime has become a major issue in today’s world. If we continue spreading awareness and take preventive measures we can reduce cybercrime. Together we can fight this!

Leo Manav Hirani
Member Of Leo Club Of Juhu