Do you know how cybercriminals are monitoring you? It is terrifying; Cybercriminals are everywhere by wearing the mask of innocence. However, being a victim of online fraud and account takeover is like having the COVID-19.
Well, if you get it, you are not the only one who would be affected. Like the virus that could infect people you have close contact with, being a victim of cybercrime could also put your families and friends in danger.
Cybercrime is no less than a pandemic. As they mostly work from home and students do online learning, cybercriminals seek vulnerable victims who easily fall into a trap with their scamming techniques.
If your ID with personal information is exposed, it could lead to financial or reputational repercussions, and identity theft is the worst that could happen to you. With your ID revealed in leaks, criminals could easily use your identity to commit fraud like unauthorized purchases using your information.
The same thing could happen if scammers could access your social media username and password. Once they take over your accounts, these criminals could pretend to be you and ask for information or money from people you usually engaged with on your social media accounts. Scammers would target the people you regularly talked to in your messenger apps.
When you click unknown links from your email or OTP via text messages, there’s a danger that your financial and personal information could be compromised. That one click could cause you an unsurmountable problem and could ruin you both mentally and financially.
Below are the common reasons how scammers could take over your accounts:
Unauthorized verification:
If your bank account is compromised because you believed in that email saying you need to reply with your credentials to verify your identity immediately, you will need to deal. A compromised account because of the user’s ignorance is not the bank’s fault. However, it’s like someone claiming to be your mother who asked for help, and without any verification, you gave her the money. It’s not your mother’s fault, the same thing when you give scammers access to your financial information. It’s not your bank’s fault.
Click on suspicious links:
When you click on any suspicious links or images on social media, you need to be careful again and over again. Many social media-supported scams could take over your accounts when you engage with the links the scammers asked you to click. When you see these scams on your social media wall, it means the criminals target you because you are more likely to engage with the link they want you to see. When the links redirect you to a page that looks like any sort of login page, stay away from it. It is a scam. If you log in, you will give the scammers access to your account. Never trust sponsored posts on social media very immediately. Verify first before engaging with it.
Data leak:
Data leak is one of the reasons why scammers could get sensitive information about you. If this happens, you could not do anything about it. You need to immediately report this to the verified Facebook community page of the Cyber Crime Investigation Division, CTTC, DMP, to guide you on what to do next.
Always be careful when you click links online. Never trust social media stuff very immediately. Do not send information when you get emails asking you to verify your account by sending your password. Use 2FA to secure your accounts. Use a strong password that’s easy to remember but hard to crack. This is only how you can remain safe from cybercriminals.
