How to avoid online scams


 

The Internet is a great thing. The great thing, however, with its own risks. As Australians become more active online, so do scammers whose purpose is to extract personal information and money from overly trusting or unsuspecting victims. Studies indicate that internet scams targeting Australia multiply year by year with older-aged internet users being particularly vulnerable to online fraud. A recent article (click to view) in The Sydney Morning Herald reveals exactly this trend...

 

The more we know about different types of internet fraud, the better armed we are against it. Online forums like the LiveTribe Forum can be extremely useful in spreading this knowledge. This is where one’s example, however unfortunate, can serve as an instruction to others on what to avoid and ultimately help prevent similar bad experiences.

 

Have you ever come across or fallen victim to an internet scam? What advice can you give on how to avoid online fraud? Share your comments below...  

Posted by on 12 Nov 2013

tweet this
  • [0] [0]
    SuzieQRutter

    If you are paying for something make sure the address starts with HTTPS the S stands for security.

    Posted by SuzieQRutter on 22 Dec 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    Diane

    You need to be very careful as many scammers sites look very genuine at first glance. I have recently had scammers pretending to have information about my bank account which was easy to pick as I did not nor did I ever have an account with the Commonwealth bank. One way to be vigilant is to carefully check the www. line at the top of the screen is spelt correctly (it will be very similar but not exactly as it should be). Make sure you only enter sensitive information on a https//www. secure screen when shopping on line and not just an http//www. address and preferably use something like a Paypal account to pay and not your Visa account details.

    Posted by Diane on 17 Dec 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    1957

    I know the sites everyone is talking about many times I have received emails telling me I have won money but don't remember buying tickets in anything and also watch out for those match making sites have been conned by a operson from one of them.

    Posted by 1957 on 16 Dec 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    bellyrubs

    I received a phone call telling me they were from Microsoft and that my computer was about to crash, they persuaded me to go to a particular website..YOU GUESSED IT..(unbeknown to me) They planted a virus in my computer. I was told it would cost me $297.00 for them to repair it (they said there were 186 critical errors in my computer requiring immediate repair) and when told I couldn't afford that they then harassed me for approx three weeks, day and night they rang demanding money. I took my computer to a local computer repair shop, it cost me $105.00 to have my computer cleaned and the viruses removed.

    Posted by bellyrubs on 16 Dec 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    Mocktail

    If it looks too good to be true then it probably is just do not participate especially if you have questions that they do not provide answers for. Leave alone

    Posted by Mocktail on 15 Dec 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    Kitty000

    Use PayPal if you can and frequently monitor your internet banking. Make sure you trust the site

    Posted by Kitty000 on 15 Dec 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    oracle31

    My son always says if it looks to good to be true don't click.I had this guy supposed to be an american soldier in Afghanistan wanting to be my friend on facebook and I thought why not until I got an inbox from him and it was really weird it was like he couldnt speak english really strange the way he typed things,my son had a look then went to a scam site and it said they were scammers from Nigeria,so I quickly deleted him.So you never can be too careful.

    Posted by oracle31 on 10 Dec 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    Rosie

    I have not fallen for a scam but all the advise given has been a huge help on me not fallen in the trape in the future 

    Posted by Rosie on 24 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    heart of mine

    just ignore people that you did not know!!!

    Posted by heart of mine on 23 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    Littletootrm

    I work on the principle that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is!. dont get involved.

    Posted by Littletootrm on 20 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    pandarty

    never pay for postage befor you get paid.be careful of buyers who offer more than you are asking .beware of those who say they cant get the internet dew to work.

    Posted by pandarty on 19 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    jamesvre

    Be careful of any person offering a way higher price on a item you are selling on an auction site such as gumtree or ebay. scammers will generally contact you from overseas luring you in first. Then they will send an fake email from pay pal which would look genuine on first glance to the untrained eye. The email will state in order to receive the money of say for example $300 you must pay a certain amount by a money transferring service such as Western Union. My advice is if you receive a email or message about an item you are selling make sure to meet face to face if it is on gumtree only ebay has buyer protection. If you suspect a email is a phishing email don't reply to it and report it straight away.

    Posted by jamesvre on 19 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    pinkf

     I thought I would share this with all of you I have gotten this email few times  its a scam if you get this DO NOT OPEN it We've limited your PayPal. Please follow these steps to resolve.     PayPalSnippet unavailable To Me     Today at 10:57 AM ----------------------------------- Notification -----------------------------------We recently received a report of unauthorized credit card payment attempt associated with your PayPal. To protect you against any further unauthorized payment attempts, we've limited access to your PayPal. Please take a minute to review the details below and what steps you need to take to remove the limits.----------------------------------- Details of disputed transaction -----------------------------------Case no.: PP-013-362-503-227----------------------------------- What to do next -----------------------------------Please download the html form attached to this email and open it in a web browser. Once opened, you will be provided with steps to restore your PayPal.----------------------------------- Due dates -----------------------------------Please get back to us as soon as possible.----------------------------------- Other details -----------------------------------As soon you will open and submit the attached form, you will be provided with  details of disputed transaction .Thanks, PayPalThis mailbox is not monitored and you will not receive a response before to submit the attached html form.CB:PP-013-362-503-227:0TH36921AU25427T----------------------------------------------------------------Copyright © 1999-2013 PayPal, Inc. All rights reserved. PayPal Australia Pty Limited ABN 93 111 195 389 (AFSL 314962). Any general financial product advice provided in this site has not taken into account your objectives, financial situations or needs. PPID PP962 PayPal Inc. | 2211 North First Street | San Jose CA 95131 | USAThis email was sent to you, because your email preferences are set to receive security alerts. To Unsubscribe, go to your PayPal and uncheck the notifications you don't want to receive.   1 Attachment Download attachment am please read  

    Posted by pinkf on 19 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    Moongold

    I think it's quite amazing that we keep forgetting to NOT TRUST ANYONE when it comes to strange email messages, Banks contacting you for details they already have, advising you there's 'something they need to update' etc, or purchasing things online and giving strangers credit or other card details or ID material!  Even clicking on links in emails especially can install viruses and Trojans on your PC.  DON'T DO IT!  No matter if it's a convincing looking website that seems just like your Bank or whatever, ring them and find out if their contacting you is from them.  9 out of 10 times it simply WON'T be!  I clicked on a 'sample' of hand cream offered in an email, entered my card details to "pay for the postage only" so they said, and then spent months getting my Bank to chase and investigate funds being stolen from my account.  Banks will only repay you for 3 months and no more, and these mongrels were extracting small and large amounts each week or so and had given my details to several other international thieves. The Banks know about them and even have located them, but they close shop and move on overnight.  DON'T TRUST ANYTHING ONLINE unless you know the person.  Even then, I would ring or email them first before clicking on anything (including photos which seem harmless!).

    Posted by Moongold on 18 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    Bellajoy

    I've had these situations. I am aware of these types of scams and never give personal information. I'll tell you about one case in which I decided to answer and check how far you go fraudsters. I received an e - mail that a lottery win of 200,000 Euros. I told them " I'm very happy with the profit ." Their next step was to explain to me that you have within 15 days to receive a prize. The options were 3 , courier , bank and personal in their office , which is located in Madrid, Spain. I wanted a copy of the ID card and a bank account . I told them that I booked my plane ticket and bring documents in the office in Madrid to receive the award personally. After this e- mail I received no response .Fraudsters use a variety of options , so we need to keep our eyes and ears always alert.

    Posted by Bellajoy on 18 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [1] [0]
    pinkf

     I have had alot of scamming emails, some of them make me laugh I got one while ago when I first got the computer  when I read this email I thought *OMG* fabo anyway emailed the person they wanted some details and then I got told I have to pay a fee to get the money? so I told them take the fee out of the money and give me the rest, this person said they cant do that I said why not?? they said it wasnt possiable so it all clicked I knew it was a scam I told them stop scamming me he said it wasnt a scam I said yes it is I am not that stupid to fall for this, I reported them to the email account which they were holding they got their email account shut down I didnt hear from them for a while then it started again, this time he got very upset at me because I wouldnt pay the fee and he was going to send his "laywers" on to me  I was going to go to court ect well I put a stop to it really quick I emailed him back and said send them over to Australia you are the one who is going to behinde bars not me for scamming well after that didnt hear a thing so you see you can play their game its fun

    Posted by pinkf on 18 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    bookkeeper

    I was told that I had inherited a lot of money from a deceased relative in England.  I had to guarantee 10% to the email sender in thanks for this information. I did this.  Then I was told to send money to a bank in England to process the money.  I contacted the federal police and was told not to send anything.  Got another email and told the person that I had contacted the federal police and passed on their email address.  No further contact from them. 

    Posted by bookkeeper on 17 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    Rubysnail

    If you didn't buy a ticket in a lottery and won thousnds in a scratchy ...It's probably a scam. Lots of Maylaysian scammers sending tickets out in the post.

    Posted by Rubysnail on 16 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    Jette

    I give bank details to nobody or company I have not had personal contact with. A good way to check scammers is to ask for their ref. number & tell them you will call back-Works every time!

    Posted by Jette on 16 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    kazam

    I was recently scammed by  phone into letting someone to remotely control my computer. This came about by the person claiming to be from Telstra and saying to me that they could show me that I had many invasions and hacking of my computer. To my shame I got scared about it and paid them to 'eliminate' these faults for me.  Naturally  it cost me $170.  On trying to contact them by phone the next day I was advised by a recorded message the number did not exist by the "check the numbeer you are calling".  I immediately contacted my bank, cancelled my card reporting the scam to them.  They advised me that it has happened to a lot of people, in fact the teller who handled my card cancellation had a son who had ben scammed in exactly the same way.  I am now waiting to see if the bank can recover the money for me. Never again will I deal on anything by phone unless I phone them, and I will make sure it is a legitimate business.

    Posted by kazam on 15 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    mishiee56

    Sadly I have been a scamed by someone. I soon found out but it was to late to do anything about it, I just had to learn by my mistakes. These people are so convincing and believable, that it's easy to become a victim. I was so ashamed, however a friend said, that it wasn't me it was them and they are shameless. You have to be so careful and read things very carefully and be diligent at all times. Pay attention to every detail and you should be okay. Whats the old saying trust no one and believe in yourself and your own judgement. Cheers Mishiee.

    Posted by mishiee56 on 15 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    Charlie@LiveTribe

    With Christmas approaching, McAfee, producer of anti-virus software, has released its annual "12 Scams of Christmas" (click to view), which contains a list of things to look out for when doing your online shopping this holiday season. @LiveTribe recommends you check it out and make sure you stay safe when shopping for boxing day deals online. Cheers everyone!

    Posted by Charlie@LiveTribe on 15 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    pinkf

     Thanks charlie for putting this to peoples attention

    Posted by pinkf on 18 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    katzeye

    This old saying is true..If it looks too good then it usually is as i found out just recently after being scammed from sammydress.com an online clothing store based in China..still waiting to get my money back :(

    Posted by katzeye on 15 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [1] [0]
    ozki

    if u get any email u think is dodgy, copy it and paste into google was watch all the scan warning come up Then dont delete, send it to span so u dont see emails from them againA Good site about all scams is http://www.scambusters.org/

    Posted by ozki on 14 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    godsbaby

    I have not fallen victim but try real hard to keep my eyes open. I do not know what I would do if anyone tried but you have reminded to be alot more careful. Do not open strange mail is all I know..

    Posted by godsbaby on 14 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [4] [0]
    Jabbyboo

    My advice is just to be vigilant...know there are people out there ready to scam you. Never give your banking details to anyone that you feel unsure about, stick to the "tried & true" sites. I have been scammed only once & that was from what I thought was an Australian company dealing in hard to get DVD"s but they were USA scammers. I lost my money & got 5th rate goods in return but they got other people for $100's of dollars worth of virtually useless merchandise. Look out for web sites that don't look professionally set up...they could be ok but they are just as likely to be scams too. For the older generation...& I am one of these...just shop safely & don't fall for emails telling you that you have won money or get things for free, 9 out of 10 are scams!!!!!!!!!!

    Posted by Jabbyboo on 14 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [5] [0]
    Mersy

    If you are ever told that you have won a lottery but you don't recall buying tickets or entering it do not follow their instructions on how to receive payments.  There have been people that I have heard of who checked the details on the letter and a website.  It looked legitimate, but when they called the numbers after sending a large amount of money as requested that's when they found out they were pulled into the scam. The money they supplied to the company was because they were told that because they did not have an overseas bank account then they needed to set one up and needed a certain amount of dollars to do it.  They were then told that they needed to send another amount of dollars to obtain the pin number for the account.  When they did this and had not heard back they tried the numbers and found the number belonged to a casino in China and the fax number belonged to Tokyo, Japan (or perhaps it was the other way around).  Also, always check with the snopes website or another one which has a large database of scams and schemes that have been investigated and either confirmed as True or False or Undetermined as they may not have a definitive answer yet.  Hope this helps.

    Posted by Mersy on 13 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [0] [0]
    Mizzle

    so so true , i enjoyed reading this.

    Posted by Mizzle on 16 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

  • [1] [0]
    jackiz

    Know the site that you are searching if it is safe aware of paying a certain amount of money and attractive benefits which you think it is not worth to have it or impossible to gain it.

    Posted by jackiz on 12 Nov 2013
    Reply | Alert Moderator

Join LiveTribe

Thousands of Aussies and Kiwis have already discovered the benefits of their FREE LiveTribe membership. Join and start earning online today!

Sign Up
Get Rewarded!

Comment on brands, products and services and be rewarded for your opinions! Join in and discover LiveTribe’s extensive range of rewards.

View More
Celebrity Lookalikes
Sidebar Banner

Have celebrity looks? Send us a selfie to win $$ View More
Members Testimonials
Lyn
"This is a great site. Love doing their surveys." Lyn B., QLD
Mary
"Just found out I won $150 in the competition – Thank you LiveTribe." Mary H., SA
Barbara
"Boy! Am I happy, to win a $150 Hoyts voucher, I love my movies." Barbara F., VIC
Elizabeth
"Awesome survey giving so much information on mining, thank you." Elizabeth A., WA
Frank
"My rewards from LiveTribe just keep rolling in. Keep it going, LiveTribe" Frank B., VIC