Scams are a type of fraud, a confidence
trick used to deceive people and dispose them of their money or goods in
exchange of services or promises which are never delivered. Scam actually dates
back as far as the late 19th century. Some of the more commonly seen variants
involve employment scams, lottery scams, request for passwords
(Mostly banking details) online sales and rentals, and romance scams. The
scam has been used with fax and traditional mail, and is now used with the
internet. Online scams from the past few years to present have gone from bad to
worse because the means used to perpetrate this act has increased incredibly.
In Nigeria, scams are also called 419. The number "419" actually
refers to the article of the Nigerian Criminal Code (part of Chapter 38:
"Obtaining property by false pretences; Cheating") dealing
with fraud. Scam is not limited to Nigeria alone, the nation has become
associated with this fraud and it has earned a reputation for being a center of
email scam crimes. According to Wikipedia, other nations known to have a high
incidence of advance fee fraud include Côte
d'Ivoire, Benin, Togo, South
Africa, Russia, India, Pakistan, the Netherlands,
and Spain.
Scammers (people who defraud)
have devised all possible means which includes but not limited to fake cheques,
Western Union/MoneyGram wire transfers, Anonymous communication, Web-based
email, Email hijacking/friend scams, Fax transmissions, SMS messages,
Telecommunications relay services. They refer to their targets
as magas – a slang that developed from a Yoruba word
meaning "fool. I personally find it difficult to believe why people would
fall cheaply for these scams.
I recently got an email which was supposedly from
“FirstBank” but one look at the content of the mail; I just knew it was not
from FirstBank. This was because firstly, it had no FirstBank Logo or contact
details. Secondly, the email had as its subject “Stay secure online” Sender’s email was “FirstBank@firstbanknigeria.com” but when I placed the cursor on the
sender’s email, I found out that the original email address used to send the
e-mail was “onlinebanking@yy.com”.
Really smart guys you will say. Any unsuspecting victim will simply assume the
email was from FirstBank and send a response.
I have also gotten chains of emails from friends whose accounts have
been hacked into supposedly claiming to be stranded somewhere and needing
financial assistance, which is annoyingly embarrassing. Even text messages and
emails claiming you won a certain amount of money and that you should send some
money to claim it.
Do not be so gullible. People can
do all sorts to make money.
A picture of the supposed mail I got from FirstBank.
How to stay Safe
Online:
- Be cautious when signing up for / installing / agreeing to anything, read the instructions carefully.
- Use difficult passwords. It is also advisable to check the "Never remember password" box when it pops up on a web page.
- When sending out emails to more than one person, kindly use “Bcc”. If not, people’s email addresses will be picked up this way and sent unwarranted newsletters, marketing documents or scam mails.
- Configuring your browsers to help filter out or block inappropriate content can also help.
- When downloading, make sure they are only files or software from sites that have been rated/verified by trusted sources.
- Please do not give out your contact details (name, address, or mobile number) unknown persons.
- Be alert and aware of online scams. These guys are very smart techies that can hack heaven if they could.
- Never open e-mail attachments or click links in e-mails from strangers unless you can trust them and have security settings on your computer.
- Install a very good antivirus program, an anti-spyware program, and a firewall. Also constantly update it.
- Be careful when using a public wireless network; make sure to turn off file sharing and network discovery. Always check for secure transaction info.
- Be careful in the use of the different social media platforms. They are a great way to stay connected with others, but you should be wary about how much personal information you post.
- When shopping online, take accurate steps to protect yourself especially your banking details. Only use trusted sites.
- Ensure you are signed out completely from visited sites.
If you get suspected cases of
fraudulent activities by anyone, you can visit to report them they help to
fight against online scams.
Thanks for taking out time to read my blog.
I appreciate you.
