Top 5 latest online scams

Just as we get to grips with them, even more seem to be invented…

iPad tester scam
You see an application on Facebook which offers you and your friends the chance to get a free iPad as part of a research programme. You’ve learnt to be cautious, but there are plenty of positive comments from other Facebook users claiming these offers are genuine. These are easily faked.
When you ‘Claim’ your prize you enter your details, including your mobile phone number and it’s here that the scam kicks in because as you do this, you’ll be signed up to a premium rate service, which is likely to cost you around £5 every week, until you unsubscribe.

The “Is this you?” scam
You receive a message on Twitter from a friend, asking ‘is this you?’, followed by a link. However, when you follow the link, your computer is compromised and it directs you to a bogus website that will capture login and password details as you enter them.
Set yourself the rule to NOT click on any links in unsolicited messages.

Ticket scams
Let’s say you want tickets for a popular show, but you haven’t had any luck getting hold of them. Then you discover a website that’s offering tickets for the show at a higher price. Despite the additional cost, you decide to go for it but the tickets never show up. Or if they do, they’re fake.
Make sure you only buy tickets from official ticket agents such as Ticketmaster or direct from the venue itself.

Fake websites
You also need to keep your eyes open for websites which sell fake goods. In some cases, these websites can even appear as Google-sponsored links, making you believe they are genuine goods.
Always check the domain name – if it looks strange, and contains a lot of numbers or hyphens, be wary and just because it ends in .co.uk, this doesn’t necessarily mean the seller is in the UK.
Whenever you make any online purchase, the web address should start with ‘https://’ as opposed to the usual ‘http://’ – the ‘s’ in this instance stands for secure.

Recruitment scams
These websites reel in customers by advertising what appears to be a great job, and all you need to do is send in your CV. You’ll then be contacted and told you look like the perfect candidate, but your CV needs re-writing. ‘Generously’, the company offers to do this for you – providing you pay, of course. It might also offer you interview coaching, or career support – again, for a fee.
Be aware of any recruitment websites that ask for cash in return for their ‘services’ and what’s more, they will also have gained your personal details from your CV.