5 Common Scams Involving Teens And How To Avoid Them

In the summer, when teens get more time and browse it on the internet, fraudsters often try to use everything from counterfeit designer products to incredibly good jobs, by providing illegal services to trusted consumers. ESET Lithuania cybersecurity expert Lucas Apnis discusses 5 tricks commonly used by fraudsters to deceive young people with money and personal information.

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Most teenagers, while not as trustworthy as young children, will easily succumb to the influence of others. Adolescents, who rarely face bad living conditions, can be found to be easily involved in cyber fraud manipulations. Such youthful innocence and innocence will make an adolescent an easy target for programmers. By manipulating the credibility of a young person, fraudsters can gain access to personal information and finances.

Expert L.A. Appinis discussed the most common scams and how to avoid them. If you are a parent or guardian, the expert recommends sharing information to protect your children, them and the entire family.

1. Scams on social networks

Most teens spend a lot of time browsing the internet and social networks. It is not surprising that fraudsters using the most popular gadgets among young people are attacking these sites. These types of scams come in many forms, making it difficult to name a situation. Links to articles with shocking headlines about celebrities are one of the most popular scams. Clicking on such a link will take the teen to the affected site.

Fraudsters can contact their victims directly, usually by coming forward to participate in games and lotteries. Such scams use a fake and often computer infected connection, which usually injures the mobile device and also gives access to personal information.

If Mr. Abinis receives a suspicious message, it should be ignored, especially if it is a reference or an ambiguous offer. If you receive a link from a stranger, it is recommended not to click on it and delete the message.

2. Luxury goods – at low prices

Another popular online scam is the use of fake advertisements about luxury goods at very low prices. To attract the attention of young people, fraudsters use well-known brands that are popular among young people. From expensive, limited edition sneakers to middle-income earners with expensive clothing lines, there are offers ranging from jobs.

Scammers use fake websites with product offers of these brands. When shopping on such sites, the buyer receives counterfeit luxury goods, and in other cases – he is empty. The worst case scenario for such scams is the use of credit card details to attract money.

An ESET expert urges you to be vigilant and remind yourself to always follow the golden rule of the Internet: “If you know something is too good to be true, that’s fine.” If you find offers to buy luxury items at very low prices online, it is a scam. Despite the incredible circumstances, if you are interested in the offer, you should do an online search for distributors and check your email. The reliability of the store.

3. Fake scholarship

At the end of the school year, graduates enter a new phase of life, often beginning with admission to universities. Higher education at the university can be a substantial amount, so some students expect scholarships. Scammers use information from financially aided students to generate information about missing scholarships.

For example, information forms for scholarships often require a registration fee. Of course, the scholarship is not given to a young person, and the money is in the pockets of money launderers. Applications for scholarship or process payment can also be found on the registration forms. Unfortunately, this results in a loss of money.

Luke Hobbs advises to check the reliability of the system, especially before signing the scholarship agreement. To be absolutely sure, it is recommended to contact the heads of the company – “Keep in mind that you can not trust the ads with the registration fee, which is required before signing the relevant documents with the grant provider,” the expert comments.

4. Fake jobs

Teenagers’ hobbies range from traveling, to concerts, to being interested in fashion, to collecting sneakers. It is difficult for a young person to enjoy these activities because it requires a steady income. The vast majority of young people, in the summer, are looking for work to cover their leisure expenses.

Young job seekers are also falling prey to online scammers. Fake, especially telecommunications ads with the best words often appear online. On job search sites, fraudsters create fake job placement questionnaires and often come forward to work from home to earn large sums of money. The main purpose of fraud is to obtain personal information used for illegal activities. Often it is illegal to forge documents and open a bank account in the name of the victim.

L. Appinis observes – if you suspect a mysterious job offer, check out the information about the company that employs you online – “If you find unreliable information, do not take the risk. It is important to remember that you can only provide financial information after work, so do not rush to provide it to unreliable sources, ”the expert commented.

5. Identity theft

Like most things, the search for romantic relationships has moved to the online space. Dating sites have also opened up new opportunities for online scammers. These types of fraudsters use not only dating sites but also social networks and personal messages for such scams.

The most popular strategy is to act like a personality that is attractive to the chosen victim. Fraudsters continue to cooperate until they reach the goal of giving up a certain amount. There are also fraudsters who use tactics such as threatening to manipulate and manipulate photos. By threatening to distribute these photos online, fraudsters are raising huge sums of money.

ESET Cyber ​​Security Expert urges you to remain calm – “Be careful when interacting with people online, and suspect anyone who wants to maintain a close enough relationship to admit love only when the conversation begins. You can protect yourself from such scams by searching the photo on the internet and making sure it is a real person, ”the expert commented.

The cyber security expert outlines the steps you can take to begin to feel safe online

ESET cybersecurity expert Lucas Appinis outlines three key steps a young mobile phone owner can take to keep their data safe online:

1. Smartphone updates: These not only add new features to your device, but also ensure that you are running the most secure version of the operating system. This is because non-upgraded operating systems sometimes have vulnerabilities that the manufacturer only fixes when upgrading an existing version to its latest release. If they are not installed, system vulnerabilities could be exploited by malware.
2. Exit sites after payment: If you are doing a bank transaction or shopping from your smartphone, exit those sites when transactions are complete. Do not store your usernames and passwords on your phone and avoid activities when using a public WiFi network. For added security, install an antivirus program.
3. Download only apps from trusted stores: Use only sites approved by the official mobile device, such as Google Play or the Apple App Store, to download a new game or search for other purchases. Check if there are any ratings and reviews, read the privacy policy of the app and see which phone features it can access.