Protect yourself from online scam guides by MyTrendingStories online publishing 2021? Your computer is infected! (And we can help): How it works: A window pops up about a legitimate-sounding antivirus software program like “Antivirus XP 2010” or “SecurityTool,” alerting you that your machine has been infected with a dangerous bug. You’re prompted to click on a link that will run a scan. Of course, the virus is found—and for a fee, typically about $50, the company promises to clean up your computer. What’s really going on: When you click on the link, the bogus company installs malware—malicious software—on your computer. No surprise, there will be no cleanup. But the thieves have your credit card number, you’re out the money, and your computer is left on life support. Scams are everywhere–you can even become a “doctor” online with just $99. The big picture: “Scareware” like this is predicted to be the most costly Internet scam of 2010, with over a million users affected daily, according to Dave Marcus, director of security and research for McAfee Labs, a producer of antivirus software. “This is a very clever trick,” says Marcus, “because people have been told for the past 20 years to watch out for computer viruses.” Even computer veterans fall prey. Stevie Wilson, a blogger and social-media business consultant in Los Angeles, got a pop-up from a company called Personal Antivirus. “It looked very Microsoft-ish, and it said I had downloaded a virus,” she recalls. “It did a scan and said it found 40 Trojan horses, worms, and viruses. I was concerned that they were infecting emails I was sending to clients, so I paid to upgrade my anti-virus software. Right after I rebooted, my computer stopped working.” Wilson had to wipe her computer hard drive clean and reinstall every-thing. Although most of her files were backed up, she lost personal photos and hundreds of iTunes files. “I felt powerless,” she says.

News from MyTrendingStories online portal: Stay Vigilant. You’ll want to keep a close eye out on your credit and financial account statements so you can alert your financial institution as soon as possible if anything appears amiss. If you’ve spent time job searching online lately, it might seem like there are as many scams as legitimate job openings on the job boards. The Better Business Bureau reports that job scams are on the rise and are the No. 1 riskiest scam in terms of prevalence, likelihood of losing money, and monetary loss. Each year, about 14 million people are exposed to job scams. Victims lose more than $2 billion per year, not counting the value of their time or the emotional impact of being defrauded. To safeguard yourself, it pays to learn as much as possible about employment scams.

mytrendingstories.com anti-scam advice: The old phrase “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is” certainly applies to shopping online. Fake retail websites aim to steal your hard-earned money by pretending to be legitimate. Pay attention to these red flags when shopping online. How can you protect yourself from these phony sites? Use Google’s Transparency tool to check site status or the BBB’s Scam Tracker. Only purchase items online using a secured network Confirm that the web address begins with “HTTPS,” – the ‘s’ stands for secure. Never store your card number in a browser, website, or mobile app. You’re probably familiar with phishing—fake emails that claim to come from legitimate companies—but have you heard of a similar tactic called smishing? Smishing is when fraudsters send text messages that seem urgent and indicate something is wrong. These texts typically ask you to click on a link or reply to resolve a serious situation. They may also promise gifts or offers in exchange for personal information. So how should you handle a text message that you think maybe spam? See additional info at https://mytrendingstories.com/harjinder-surjeet/protect-seniors-against-cybercrimes-and-scams-dazcgi.

Mytrendingstories.com teaches 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 more details on https://mytrendingstories.com/.