Safety Nets: Spot & Stop Fraud, Scams, & Manipulation

  I know we've all heard several sensational stories about fraudsters hacking into one database or another, but that's not where most fraud or scams begin or get perpetrated. Rather, it starts with you and  whether your digital and physical transactions are protected or not. If I may ask: Is your password weak? Are you reusing it? Do you sometimes get careless in handling your account key? I want you to understand this: once usurpers succeed in getting inside, they will be able to drain your accounts, lock you out, and impersonate you to hit your contacts too. With several years experience in data processing, I’ll show you practical steps to foolproof your passwords in this issue of  Safety Nets: Spot & Stop Fraud, Scams, &  Manipulation. By "foolproof your password", I don't mean you must cram or memorize an exhaustive list of random numbers. The point is to make your accounts uninteresting, unattractive, and safe enough to keep scammers and  fraudsters...

  Quick Links: Understanding SMS Scam Common Types Of SMS Scam How People Become Vulnerable How To Successfully Avoid SMS Scam Frequently Asked Questions Understanding SMS Scam It’s not new, yet people still fall for it every day. Why?   Is it ignorance? Carelessness? Being overwhelmed? Simple mistakes? More importantly, what makes innocent people fall for SMS scams? That’s what I’m covering in this issue of  Safety Nets: Spot & Stop Fraud, Scams, &  Manipulation. What Is SMS Scam? First things first: what exactly is an SMS? SMS is an acronym for "Short Message Service".  It is a text messaging service for sending short messages and typically has limitation of up to 160 characters. It refers to communications taking place across different mobile devices, that are being exchanged from contact-to-contact. Specifically, such messaging  is usually text-based, short, and features delivery reports, which are designed to  confirm whether they hav...

     Quick Links: The Premises And Essentials Common Features Of Scam Calls Their Manipulative Tactics How To Handle Scam Calls And Frustrate Scammers Frequently Asked Questions Premises And Essentials Have you ever received a call from a number and a voice you didn’t recognize? A week ago? Yesterday? Or indeed, are they on your line right now? Who’s calling? What do they want? Are they saying they’re from your bank, a government agency, or your insurance company? Talking about new fees? “Fixing errors” on your account? If they’re asking for your personal details and you’re not 100% sure who they are, hang up at once. Now. Ending the call protects you. If you stay on the line, you might only realize later that you have handed scammers the keys to your money and privacy. In  Safety Nets: Spot & Stop Fraud, Scams, & Manipulation , let’s talk about scam calls. We’ll break down the tricks scammers use to fool people. Thereafter we’ll identify real steps you can t...

     Quick Links: All About Fake Bank Alerts Understanding Fake Bank Alerts Motives of Fake Bank Alerts How To Spot & Stop Fake Bank Alerts Frequently Asked Questions All About Fake Bank Alerts Fraud is like grass on fertile ground: cut it down today, tomorrow it springs up anew. How do you uproot it,? The more loopholes you plug, the more bypass  creative scammers develop to frustrate your efforts. I almost fell to one of their common tactics a few months ago. I was trying to rest after a tedious working day. Then I heard the sound of an incoming alert. This is what I saw: “ALERT: N850.00 debited from your account. If you didn't authorize this, click here to cancel.” While I was still trying to grasp the meaning of this, another message came in together with a link: “Your account will be locked. Verify identity now". You can imagine the pressure and how this caught me unawares. If I had clicked the link they provided supposedly to "verify my identity", I could h...

   Quick Links: Understanding Unstable Smear Campaign Its Features How To Overcome Smear Campaigns & Regain Control Frequently Asked Questions Understanding Unstable Smear Campaign Today in Safety Nets: Spot & Stop Fraud, Scams, &  Manipulation, I will be focusing on  Smear Campaign,  which is a terrible type of manipulation intended to control somebody. Have you ever been at the receiving end of a smear Campaign? Have you been given uncomplementary names before? This can be highly embarrassing and shocking. You may even think you are dreaming or somehow losing your mind, but you are not. You are merely being victimized by a cold schemer who's trying to blackmail you emotionally to a point of submission. It is one of the most damaging forms of manipulation. It  attacks a core part of your   personality: your reputation. When you are painted as   “unstable,” “crazy,” “over-dramatic,” or “untrustworthy,” it goes beyond mere ins...