Protect yourself from online scam advices by Mytrendingstories.com writing platform today? The first time, he was going to send the email to his web person in case a photo had been innocently misused. But first he had the idea to Google “professional photographer email scam.” Millions of Google results confirmed that it was, in fact, a scam. Reassured and relieved, he deleted the scam email and didn’t even bother to reach out to his web person. When a very similar email arrived a few months later and then again the other day, he knew what it was and just hit “delete.” Recently a couple in Hingham lost $17,000 to a scammer claiming to be the chief of police. They believed the call was genuine because the police department’s main business number showed on their caller ID. They became overcome with fear so quickly that they followed the scammer’s orders to the letter. The Hingham police were so sorry about what happened to this couple. They strongly urged people to not rely on caller ID “since it can be altered to display any name or telephone number.” That is 100 percent true.

News with Mytrendingstories online portal: Hacking is an attack directly on computer systems or websites that contain financial information. Merchant account takeovers is a type of fraud that have been trending upwards over the last few years but exploded in 2020 and 2021. This is when a fraudster logs into a person’s merchant account (Amazon, Uber, Venmo) and uses saved payment information to make purchases for themselves. Merchant account takeovers can happen when a person uses the same password across multiple online accounts. If that log in information is leaked from any one website, scammers can do something called “credential stuffing”, where they use programs to test that log in information across hundreds or thousands of popular websites, hoping to get a hit. The best way to combat this type of fraud is to use strong, unique passwords for online accounts. Use a password manager can create and store unique passwords with ease. Learn more about password managers here.

Mytrendingstories anti-scam tricks: How it works: You meet someone on a dating site, on Facebook, in a chat room, or while playing a virtual game. You exchange pictures, talk on the phone. It soon becomes obvious that you were meant for each other. But the love of your life lives in a foreign country and needs money to get away from a cruel father or to get medical care or to buy a plane ticket so you can finally be together. What’s really going on: Your new love is a scam artist. There will be no tearful hug at the airport, no happily-ever-after. You will lose your money and possibly your faith in humankind. The big picture: Online social networking has opened up bold new avenues for heartless scammers who specialize in luring lonely people into bogus friendships and love affairs, only to steal their money. Discover additional info on https://mytrendingstories.com/benjamin/mytrendingstories-scam-avoidance-tips-and-tricks-ewmjlk.

Mytrendingstories.com discuss how to escape scams: Beware of clicking on coupons from social media. If the coupon comes from the retailer’s official social media page, then you should be in the clear. But other times, fake coupons surface on social media pages that claim to be affiliated with retailers. For example, say you stumble onto a deal at Ross that isn’t promoted on any of Ross’ official media platforms. Instead of assuming that the deal is an inside scoop, contact your local Ross or try to track down the deal on Ross’ official website. Otherwise, you’re vulnerable to malware attacks. When you’re browsing the clearance section online, pay extra attention to final sale items. Final sale doesn’t always mean final prices, according to Consumerist. In fact, retailers will sometimes mark down the prices of their final sale items.

Report the scam to the police through Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, or report a scam anonymously on its website. If you’re in Scotland, report a scam through Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or on its website. You can also report scams to Police Scotland on 101. If you wish to seek further advice, contact Citizens Advice Scams Action through the website, or call its online scams helpline on 0300 330 3003. Alternatively, you can contact the Financial Conduct Authority’s helpline on 0800 111 6768. How do I know if I’ve been scammed? You’ve had unexplained transactions on your bank account. Additional financial products pop up on your credit report that you don’t remember taking out. Bank statements meant for your address aren’t delivered – this could be a sign of ID fraud. You’re rejected for credit when you’ve got a good credit history. It’s worth checking your credit reference file on a monthly basis to see if someone is making false applications for credit in your name. See the Credit Check guide for full info. See extra info on https://mytrendingstories.com/.