HOW TO IDENTIFY ONLINE SCAMMERS

 

 Online scamming are becoming rampant these days and unsuspecting victims are losing their hard earned money each day to these notorious individuals hiding behind computers to commit evils. Some scams are carefully and smartly organised in such a way as to completely capture people's mind and easily earn their trust through phoney write ups and websites in a way that mimics genuine businesses. Scammers can be very charming and persuasive in their dealings and some have become very successful at it.  But, does this mean there are no genuine people online? Certainly, there are a few trustworthy individuals or businesses that uphold good virtues and integrity. These individuals are no doubt rare. So, how do we separate the wheat from the chaff and know genuine people whom business can be safely done with? The answer lies in this post as I'll mention some helpful tips that can be used in identifying criminals and avoiding them.

Attributes of scammers/online scams

1. Ridiculously good offer

If it's too good to be true, then it's most possibly a scam. Most of online scams are targeted towards the greedy individuals, promising high rewards, attractive prices that are not found anywhere.

2. Lack of verifiable identity

Does the suspected scammer have an identity? Can he be traced if anything goes haywire? Most scammers have no traceable identity trackable online or offline. Can his identity be found on Facebook, Twitter or any popular social media? Is the identity on these social platforms connected to any real individual? If 'no' is the answers to these questions, then the suspect is most certainly a scammer.

3. Fake website reveiws

Don't be deceived by website reviews. Some scams online are very intelligently designed in such a way that any unsuspecting user could easily fall for it. Reviews found on websites and even social medias can be bought. But, does this mean online reviews are no longer trustworthy? No! Online reviews especially written on popular review website where people write their experience about any website are helpful and reliable. But, reviews on the same website can be manipulated or bought.

4. Sudden rise in fake popularity

Is the website name new to you or came up recently and it's already throwing its ads all over the internet and boasting of outrageous amount of unrealistic feedbacks within their short period of sprawning up from nowhere? Run, my dear sister/brother, they are most certainly fake and planning to rip you.

5. Marketing of information about making wealth overnight

They market wealth making information and promise to reveal some obscure secrets to making wealth. They'll do this confidently, boastfully and in a way that keeps the reader wondering and wanting to know more. They'll lure you to buying their ebooks through empty promises of vague wealth and unimaginable riches that abound in their yet-to-be revealed secret.

6. Professed professionalism

Don't be deceived by their claims. They create an air of exaggerated professionalism. If the product or service they claim to offer is popular as target of online scamming, then another reason to be more cautious. They worked so hard at priding themselves as offering the best services. Does your instinct question you about the feasibility of such services? Do you smell foul play, air of dishonesty or hanky-panky in their business description? Does the service they claim to offer sound unimaginable and too good to be true? If your answers to these questions are 'yes', run! They put a lot of efforts in designing a website that looks genuine but some of the essential services of a quality websites are not functional even though you will see these services as being offered by the website. Example, you'll find a contact support service where you can submit form to contact support directly from the website but you ain't going to receive reply from any support. The link to their live chat wouldn't show any representative online to respond to you. They are websites that boast excessively about their staff but you won't get any reply if you contact them directly from the contact support link on their websites.

7. Captivating write ups

Do you find yourself gaining confidence momentarily at a high pace while reading the write ups on their websites? Scammers or con artists put so much effort in gaining your confidence and trust that you are in fact dealing with the right person. They will write excessively long articles with most effort directed towards gaining your trust. You'll get to know how much they have played on your emotions (not intelligence) when you falled a victim.

8. Long ramble article with how-to title on well sought after topics

The articles on these scam websites contain long combination of unnecessary topics bloated with keywords and discordant paragraphs of unnecessary information in order to gain traffic from Google. But, that's not to say some scam websites don't have well written piece with perfect grammar. I believe some of these scammers don't work alone and as such they employ people that help them achieve their goals.

9. Misleading business name

Scammers are notorious for using name similar to reputable companies in an attempt to use their credibility and reputation to gain people's trust and confidence that the scam is related to such company.

10. Instant blocking after payment

If you have any deal with them on social media, they'll block your account after transacting with them. But, don't let it reach that stage. This is just a sign that you have certainly been scammed.

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