The most popular scams lately

I know we all have lots of things to worry about these days but it's important not to forget about scam issue that is going pretty wild lately. I was scrolling the other day and found some interesting info and some things I've never heard myself, so I thought it might be useful to share it.

• Online shopping. Of course it's nothing new but the number of scammy sellers got increased that's why it's pretty worth mentioning.
• Donating to charities. There always were some scammers in this field, though lately it got increased as hell. Even though, you want to do a good job and help others, it's important to double check the info before doing so.
• Fake apps. This got me interested actually since I've never dealt with anything like this before myself. There was an android app called 'CovidLock' that should help to track the spread of the Coronavirus and things like that but instead hackers locked the phones and held it for a ransom. That's not just buying some random app and losing couple $, this shit is pretty serious...
• Suspicious Robocalls. I haven't dealt with this one myself too but apparently such thing exists. It might keep asking for your info or keep taking you to more robocalls instead of connecting to an operator and that way taking money from you.
• Emails that claim to have the latest news about the virus situation. Scammers pretend to be from official organisations related to health and sends emails with malicious links that claims to have some info about the latest situation of Coronavirus in the world. While actually it can install a malware on your device or steal personal information, capture passwords and logins.

I also looked for some ways to protect myself from such things, of course common sense and sharp mind are the main things that helps in situations like this. Though the more I read, the more I understand that it's not always enough.

• When you want to donate money, not only google about the charity but also look for some info on give.org and guidestar.org.
• Get a password manager to keep your logins and passwords safe -> Keeper
• For a general online security use a VPN, besides it's super convenient if it has a feature that blocks malicious websites -> NordVPN
• I'm pretty sure mostly everyone uses antivirus software, though just in case, I'll mention it too -> Bitdefender
• There's also a convenient website that helps to double check if you're dealing with a scammer or not. You can also report your case there too -> https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker

submitted by /u/TurbulentSpecific
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