3 ways scammers get you in South Africa
Various scams are making the rounds in South Africa, but most use three simple tricks to fool unsuspecting South Africans.
Scammers are also devising new schemes to get people out of their money, including job scams, e-commerce fraud, and phishing.
Due to this, Momentum’s Cyber Security Team warned that scammers exploit people’s most profound human weaknesses and evade rational thought to manipulate emotional responses.
There are three tricks that Momentum believes make a scammer’s basic recipe:
1. Fear
“Fear and intimidation scams have different approaches, but both are geared towards one common aspect: human emotion. In some cases, they use official sounding and threatening words, threatening potential victims with violence, a lawsuit, or possibly arrest,” said Momentum.
“These types of scams pull on the heartstrings with the intention to instil a sense of sadness, grief, or heartache, and often are purported to involve a loved one.”
For example, a call stating a crisis can cause one to shift into higher gear and seek a solution.
Momentum said it is essential to stay calm when receiving these calls.
2. Urgency
Scammers often involve high-pressure emotional stakes along with tight deadlines.
These are intended to get people to act impulsively without reasoning.
“This is to avoid giving your time to reconsider or consult with someone you trust. As such, scammers will offer you a good deal you that appears to be too good to pass, be careful – the key is to entice the potential victim to act impulsively without reasoning.”
“Being in a visceral state also helps people to forget rational advice, and your emotions override rational decision-making. Being sceptical can help keep you safe.”
“Continue to question everything and always double-check, especially when a situation feels too good to be true.”
3. Authority
Many scams see criminals pose as authority figures to scare their victims into submitting to their demands.
They often impersonate police officers, government officials, bank representatives or failing members.
South Africans should remain vigilant when dealing with people claiming to be authority figures and verify their identities before providing any information or money.
“Should you find yourself in a predicament with scams, avoid paying more money and immediately focus on stopping further losses. Gather all information about the incident while it is still fresh. Next, investigate ways to repair the damage and avoid getting scammed in the future.”
“The global economy has worsened, placing an ever-tightening squeeze on households. Because of this, fraudsters have become more determined, and people are more desperate to make a quick and easy buck.”
What to do
Momentum’s Cyber Security Team recommended the following tips to defend yourself better:
- “Staying current on the latest types of scams can help you identify the risks and learn how to avoid them, protecting yourself and your finances.
- Don’t be embarrassed about reporting a scam. Because the scammers are cunning and clever, there’s no shame in being deceived. By reporting it, you’ll make it more difficult for them to deceive others.
- Do not attempt to scam your scammer. You may potentially get scammed again. All consumers must report fraudulent interactions with the SAPS.
- Check accounts regularly and report unusual activity to your bank.
- Authenticate information: Always verify the legitimacy of people or companies requesting access to personal information or money. Contact the company directly to check if you are dealing with them.
- Keep sensitive information private, such as how and where you store passwords.
- Never click on links unless you are 100% sure where the link is from and where it may take you.
- By accessing your free annual credit report via South Africa’s several credit bureaus, you can identify fraudulent accounts or loans and address the situation with the relevant institution.
- Be wary of Hotmail or Gmail addresses that are supposedly coming from established companies.
- Avoid accessing sensitive services such as your email or internet banking when using public WiFi networks.
“Perpetrators are skilled at their craft, employing countless tactics such as phishing emails or texts to trick people into disclosing financial and sensitive personal information.”
“The impact, as a result, goes well beyond financial loss, ending it being an unfortunate and traumatic experience.”
Read: Warning over invoicing fraud in South Africa – double check your emails
Loading ...
