We’re taught at a young age to be mindful of who we interact with. While the world is full of good people, there are some who aim to capitalize on the naivete’ of others. Criminals pose as friends or salesmen, they gain your trust, and then they take steps to profit from your misfortune. These kinds of actions used to be limited to phone calls or door-to-door schemes. Now they take place online. Online fraud makes up a majority of the fraud you’ll see today. Criminals frequently cruise social networking sites to find favourable fraud victims. Residents of the U.K. should be vigilant as fraudulent schemes continue to materialize.
Remember that if something seems to good to be true, then it probably is. It is easy for people to mask their true identity online, and you have to take steps to protect your identity from those people. People who commit fraud are selfish people. Their goal is to obtain money at the expense of others. A computer gives a criminal a mask to hide behind. Sometimes networks of criminals conduct phishing schoemes in order to gain access to personal information. Once someone has your personal information, such as; social security number, full name, birthdate, family information or bank information, they can use it to open new accounts.
Always pay close attention to who you’re talking to, whether they are online or in person. The more aware you are of your surroundings, the better off you will be in the long-run.