Mobile App Scams: Personal information such as banking information, user names and passwords, UPI information, and more is often stored in our online accounts and on mobile app scams. And since many individuals now use their smartphones to make purchases through various applications and websites, scammers may take advantage of their vulnerability by bombarding them with calls and texts.
If you reply to these scam calls or texts, your information may be compromised and shared with cyber criminals.
Table of Contents
1. Use Antivirus Software and Keep It Up-to-Date
Antivirus software protects your computer from malicious programs, but that’s only one of its many functions. Files get encrypted by ransomware; the only way to decrypt them is to pay the criminals.
Trojan horse software masquerades as legitimate software but secretly steals sensitive data. When infected with a bot, your computer becomes a member of a zombie army, ready to launch a denial-of-service attack, spam the internet, or perform any other task ordered by the bot herder. Good antivirus software often gives you a great guide on various malicious scams and can prevent these and other forms of malware from infiltrating your system.
2. Use Different Passwords For Different Accounts
An easy technique for hackers to steal information is to obtain a list of username/password pairs from one location and use those credentials to access other locations. Suppose, for illustration, that your email service was hacked and criminals obtained your login credentials.
They could try to access large online retailers or financial institutions using the same credentials. Using a strong, unique password for every online account you have is the greatest method to stop a data breach from having a domino effect.
3. Safeguard Your Social Media
An old adage goes, “If you don’t pay for it, you aren’t the customer; you are the product.” There’s a fine line between sharing just enough with your friends and family on social media and revealing too much about yourself.
It’s possible to check how much information the social media giant Facebook has about you by downloading your data. This could be a real eye-opener if you’re the kind to click on quizzes demanding access to your social network account. There’s no need to find out your Disney prince or cat identity.
Hackers may try to trick you by pretending to be your Facebook friend. Popular fraud involves sending a user an unsolicited private message, which ultimately leads to the user’s account being compromised and used by hackers to spread the scam.
Send an email or other form of communication to your friend to inquire about any strange or unusual private messages you may have received. Maybe your friend fell victim to a con.
4. Never Consent to an Immediate Transfer of Funds
A fraudster who calls you could persuade you to approve payments that were transmitted to your phone via text message, web link, or online payment app. Don’t give in, especially if the other party claims to be waiting by phone or computer.
5. Don’t Fall for Phishing Scams
Keep an eye out for fraudulent emails. This type of communication is sent to get you to verify your account information or make any changes by clicking on a link supplied in the message.
Clicking on a link in an unsolicited email might result in dangerous software (commonly known as “Malware”) being downloaded and installed on your computer or mobile app scams device. This Malware may gather information about the user.
Stay alert, stay safe!