So when
work-at-home business opportunities "knock" on your door offering you
the chance to become financially independent or some extra income, most would
jump at the opportunity, especially in these hard times. But
beware. The Internet today is brimming with a variety of cyber scams from
multi-level marketing schemes, selling cosmetics, investments, health care,
diet plans, diet pills, energy boosters, to anything that is part of the most
current craze.
To
entice people into the scam, these Internet sites utilise headings such as
"make money now", "Earn Cash in a few hours," and similar
hoopla. Some
even try to make themselves look more legit and convincing by cautioning you
about the various scams.
The
basic rule is, if it sounds too good to be true, then it is likely to be a
scam. But in
spite of so many warnings by Bank Negara, other government bodies and NGOs,
many people continue to fall for these "Get-Rich-Quick" schemes. According
to law enforcement agencies, the number of scams has risen by 27 per cent this
year alone.
Just
stop and think about it for a moment. If it is so easy to get rich by just
sitting at home in your pajamas, the world would finally be ridding itself of
poverty. Two
people have learnt this the hard way.
Taxi
driver Rama, 33, ended up losing about RM30,000 after “investing” in a scheme
which promised exceptionally attractive returns. A friend
had persuaded him to part with the money to be his "down line",
promising him returns of up to fifty per cent within 30 days with a Mini car to
boot.
All he
had to do was to write out a cash cheque of RM30,000 and get three down lines
to part with RM2,000 each. Rama found the offer too good to resist. As in
any scams, those recruited would be given a large return as promised on their
initial investment, thereby motivating them to "invest" more.
Certain
scams are specifically fashioned to take advantage of the way the Internet
operates. Like in the case of retired teacher Ms Chong. Chong
got an email message declaring she had won a foreign lottery or an online
sweepstake from an American bank amounting to US$30,000, but in order for her
to claim her supposed winnings, she had to pay US$80 for the processing fee via
a wire transfer.
"I
did precisely what they requested and that was the last I heard from
them," said Chong, who a few weeks later noticed that an additional
RM10,000 was wired from her account to the said bank without her knowledge. Chong
lodged a police report but the authorities couldn't do much because "no
such bank" existed. There
are many reports of people getting ripped off and left with nothing but the sad
experience to share.
There
are also numerous Internet scams that happened without the victims even
realizing it. It is only when their bank or credit card statements arrived that
they found out that they had been cheated. There
are, however, several ways to protect yourself from Internet scams. They are
simple but essential precautions you can take because you often cannot be sure
exactly who you are dealing with on the Internet.
How you
access the Internet can also make a difference. But if you take the right
measures, the likelihood of being scammed can be significantly reduced. You need
to protect yourself by using antivirus programmes. Never leave your personal
data on unknown sites.
Do not
download anything dubious. Don't simply click on unknown links or suspected
spam emails. Never
open any email attachments if you have any doubts about the sender. Do not
"unsubscribe" a spam email especially if the spam email has an
"unsubscribe" link.
And
lastly, never fall for any outwardly eye-catching offers, especially if they
promise easy money. The
online scams know no national borders or boundaries; they adhere to no
investigative jurisdictions.
Nothing is easy in life and so, if you receive offers that sound too good to be true, bear in mind that if you have to pay, it's a purchase, not a prize.
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