Lately,
Internet scams, viruses, and hackers have been prevalent. They have gotten a lot more creative in the
ways that they try and lure somebody to give them information or money.
According to Adam Levine of huffingtonpost.com, there are five things you
should never click on if you want better Internet security. These are mobile
apps, remote access, pornography, authority scams and drug scams.
The amount
of mobile app scams has risen over 200% since 2011. They are mostly on the
android platform because it is easier to gain access to this marketplace. These
scams come from every angle. They range from fake banking apps to games that
you pay for. The worst sounding one
turns a legitimate app into an app that tracks your location and the
information you put into your phone. To prevent this from happening all you
have to do is a little research. Make sure the app you are about to download is
legitimate. Look online at reviews and reviews that are on the marketplace. Somebody
will warn everybody before you download the scam app.
Remote
access is when somebody poses as a representative for a company. The example
that Adam used is con men that acted as Microsoft support. They will contact
you and tell you that your computer has a virus and if you let them have
access, they will install harmful software that hacks into your personal
information. To prevent this, do not freak out and think your computer will
crash. A person’s first reaction is to give them all required information to
fix it. The big hint that it’s a scam is that they contacted you first. Why
would Microsoft or another company contact you and say you have a virus. How
could they tell if you do or don’t. Do not answer anything that involves somebody
contacting you first about a problem on your personal belongings.
Pornography
sights have been known for scams for a very long time. By simply just clicking
on the wrong ad, you can get yourself into a lot of trouble. It could lead to
illegal content, which could lead to getting in trouble with the government or
a virus on your computer. To avoid this, don’t click on random links from scam
emails or random popup ads. Try and avoid it at all costs.
Authority
scams are similar to remote access. A fake company contacts you about something
like your credit cards or something that can get you in trouble real easily. The
initial response of a person is to provide all information that you need to
identify themselves. These companies or scammers now have access to your
personal credit or bank statements and can steal money. To avoid this you have
to resist the urge. Check whatever they contacted you about personally to see
if its true.
Drug scams
have been around from the beginning of scams. Usually the drugs are associated
with email scams. MacAfee’s research team has found that 20% of all scam emails
have drug reference in them. With this staggering statistic it’s no wonder why
its something not to click on. To prevent this from happening try not clicking
on the link. If (I am not say it’s a good idea) you need to buy drugs (which is
illegal) do not buy it from a blind dealer. Do not let somebody get a hold of
your bank account.
By not
giving into a lot of online stuff, you can prevent yourself from getting in
trouble or your identity stolen. If you feel like something is fishy and not
right, it probably means that illegal business is going on and you should not
continue. Do not fall prey to online predators because you and your bank
account may get hurt.
Levin, Adam. "The 5 Deadly Clicks: The Links You Should
Never Touch." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 03
Oct. 2013. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.
This was a great article, I didn't even think of the fact that people could be creating apps to help scam but it makes complete sense. I know I'm guilty of allowing apps access to my facebook or the location services without a second thought just so I can use them but I will definitely be more careful so thank you for that! It's a shame its gotten to the point where you can't really do anything without having to worry about getting scammed but I guess that's the price we pay for trusting a lot of our personal information to the internet.
ReplyDeleteYes, your exactly right and with more time will come more ways for people to access your personal information. I would just recommend to be a little more careful from here on out as to what information you give out or what information you let third parties use of yours.
DeleteThis article makes me think of a scam i have on my computer as we speak, ill talk more about it in my presentation on monday, but what it does is whatever website i am on, it will generate a "pop-up" that will ask me to upgrade my software to the latest version or update my information. Whats crazy about this is the popup takes whatever content you are looking at and makes it look just like it is coming for that website. It tricked me the first time because i just wanted it out of my way because i was trying to do something else, so i just clicked upgrade, which was a big mistake probably, but o well, wish me luck on trying to remove it.
ReplyDeleteWell that is interesting to hear, I have never heard of that one. That definitely sounds pretty tricky and if it were me I would have probably done the same thing. But good luck and hope everything works out.
DeleteI can see how apps are being used as phishing software or just mal-ware and/or scams. I agree that researching an app before downloading is the best option available. I always read the comment section under an App before downloading whether it is a legit app or not. I do this on my computer and my phone.
ReplyDeleteYah that is definitely your best option to figure out if something is legit or not in the shortest amount of time.
DeleteThis was very interesting. I had really no idea how many ways there were to get scams onto your computer. And really had no idea about the Apps. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYes, so if you have an android make sure your very careful with what apps you are downloading. Like we stated earlier check the reviews on the app and make sure it is legit before downloading it.
DeleteThis was a very interesting blog. All you see whenever your on the internet in pop up this advertisement that and when you slip up and click the wrong thing.. BOOM malware, virus, or something else negative happening to your pc. You can buy the latest and greatest antivirus but it seems to still happen. Its crazy that is now happing with apps on the phone but really not that surprising.
ReplyDeleteLike they say, with more technology comes more problems. So with all the new technologies coming out lately, the more ways the hackers will figure out how to corrupt those technologies. It is definitely scary but people need to become a lot more informed on these types of situations.
DeleteI personally do not know of a way to get them off of your screen other than by clicking on the exit button. I do know that typically when that happens it does mean that your computer or other device has interacted with a virus of some sort. So if that does happen and you have some sort of computer protection make sure to access the protection and scan your computer for threats and viruses as soon as possible.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great article! I used to be a victim of an anti-virus website. When i was working on my computer, it appeared and said that my disk C had virus. Even though i hit the X button, its website still stayed in my computer like forever until i got my friend to get it fixed. So, be aware of that always. And thanks for letting me know about the apps too that i haven't thought of.
ReplyDeleteYes, that is another great example of how this can happen. Thanks for sharing your perspective and hopefully your devices stay safe from here on out.
ReplyDelete