The digital world provides so many benefits to consumers and businesses alike. However, using this world comes with its risks. Whether it’s your social media, OKC website, or email, the digital world is filled with individuals looking to scam others for money and information.
Scammers continue to become increasingly sophisticated in their operations. It can seem frightening to come in contact with personally invasive, even sometimes threatening, messages on the web OKC. However, several noticeable characteristics of scammers can help you avoid their trap.
Scammers: Main Things To Look Out For.
Suspicious Messages, Attachments, and Links
You may be scammed if you receive any suspicious messages through email, text, or social media from an unrecognizable individual or company. These messages may contain malware used to damage your computer system and potentially steal your information. Do not open or respond to these messages. Never open attachments or click on any links or social media posts you are unsure of.
Likewise, companies or individuals rarely ask for personal information through email or social media. Never give your account or personal information to strangers or anyone you are suspicious of through email, text, or social media.
Suspicious Contact Information
Many scammers attempt to steal personal and financial information by pretending to be a company you may already use. Most companies have private organizational email domains to let you know that the message is coming directly from them. If a suspicious email is from a public email you do not recognize, do not respond to or open it. If the email claims to be from a business you have used, such as Netflix, call the company directly from the contact information listed on their OKC website to ensure it’s not a scam.
The same rules apply to social media. Check the number of followers and activity if you receive messages from an account claiming to be someone you know or another business. Scam accounts typically have few followers and posts.
Suspicious Form Entries
You may notice spam messages in your inbox if contact or inquiry forms are included in your OKC web design. While a reCaptcha can filter out most of these messages, some may slip through. If you do see suspicious form entries, do not respond to them. As with email and social media, do not open links within the message. Although you cannot avoid spam entirely, the benefits that your forms provide will outweigh the annoyance that comes from spam messages.
Suspicious Content
The content of the messages can clue you into if it is a scam. Most scam messages contain many grammatical errors. Even if you don’t know every grammar rule, obvious misspellings and readability issues are signs that you are being scammed. Likewise, many spam messages and emails often pressure you to act immediately.
Scammers use our fear of being scammed as a scare tactic to get you to click on their links. Referred to as scareware, these messages often state that if you do not click on a link or pay an amount immediately, someone will hack into your computer, publish your personal information, or worse. In a majority of situations, scammers will have no way to follow through on these threats, so they are safe to ignore.
Let Our OKC Web Design Team Protect You.
The most important thing to remember regarding your online safety is never to open or respond to suspicious emails or messages. It is better to be safe than sorry. If you are unsure about any emails or social media messages you receive, please reach out to your web design team.
If your website is hosted with us, you can be confident in your site’s integrity. At myheartcreative, our team is dedicated to keeping you safe on the web OKC. We take multiple steps to combat malware and hacks, including routine malware checks for all our website clients. Contact us if you’d like to learn more about our website design services.
