We can call them young money-minded people. After middle school, many youths will indulge in anything as long as they earn some personal money. That is the time when they fall into traps by scammers all over the world. Mainly those who want to earn by using the digital way, fall into scam, the report by nytimes.

According to the latest survey by Better Business Bureau, young people lose plenty of money online. 44% of Young adults between the ages of 20 – 29 lose some dollars through fraud, compared to 20% of adults. The difference is brought about by experience. The more you interact with the internet, the higher your chances of knowing the real and fake business.

Covid-19 made most people carry out their activities online. That was the birth of the second wave of cyberattacks and fake websites. The Better Business Bureau reported that criminals doubled in one month in various online activities. $150 got lost through fake online business with youth aged between 18 – 24 years the most affected.

The crime ranges from online e-Commerce shopping to institution fee payments.  While handing over paper checks online, an intermediary can communicate with both parties and uptake a transaction. Some youth want to afford high-paying jobs. We have many websites that might look like they connect people after payment. Immediately you pay, you will receive a text that the account has been hacked. We must strive to educate our young generation about all these sorts of crimes.

Online Retail Scams

If you like shopping online, then it is very risky to pay before receiving the product. It’s the nature of human beings to go for cheap and affordable products. The Better Business Bureau announced that almost 64% of lost money reports are from online purchases. In 2020, the number of young adults who managed to trust fake products and paid for them accounted for 83%. The number is too high compared to 2015, where only 13% of youth were fooled by such products, the report by cnbcnews.

We have lost an individual who loves puppy pets. BBB confirmed that the pet market contributed to 25% of online scam purchases. During the pandemic, many people worked from home. Others felt lonely and opted to have a pet around the house. Having a pet is a better way to eliminate loneliness.  The bureau reports that almost $660 was lost during the Covid-19 pandemic for youth buying fake pets from unknown companies. There are only two real sites that sell pets. Those are the Humane Society of the United States and the American Kennel Club.

Amazon is the largest eCommerce platform in the world. Its CEO Jeff Bezos is the first tycoon to surpass the $200 billion net worth. Despite making a huge amount of profit, there is partial fraud. Blackhat hackers are trying to build sites that look similar to Amazon. You must be very keen while making any purchase. Here are some important points to know about the real Amazon site.

While looking at the correct URL, make sure your Amazon has a dot before the domain name amazon.com. If you get a link from Amazon with so many numbers, don’t open it without much research. The third and most common way is when scammers send fake messages through email or in any form. Most messages will revolve around payments. For example, an email might prompt you to change or update your payment method. Clicking on a link will lead you to a fake website that will collect your data, report by cbsnews.

Employment Scams

Yes, we can blame the Covid-19 pandemic for millions of jobless people. It was the perfect chance for fake sites to offer well-paying jobs which don’t exist. Receptionists and assistant managers are the main jobs on such sites. Remote jobs are the norm because many companies are still far from returning to physical work. Scammers will tend to provide such jobs but in strict conditions. Just pay a small portion of the money and they will lie to connect you to those companies. The second thing is, after filling out the forms, they collect your data. That is the beginning and the end of your online security life.

Popular job sites like Indeed reported almost 32% scams. The officials from Indeed have some tips to guide you. The job site warns people against a job that allows you to open various accounts for task management.

Always be ready to update browsers like Chrome to improve your security. Don’t use a similar password on all the sensitive sites you log in to. Refresh the cache memory before closing your browser. If you notice any scammers, make sure you change all your passwords on most of the accounts.

Also Read: A New Phone Scam Wants to know: Can You Hear Me?

Fake-Check Scams

Fake-Check when a third party comes in the middle. Let’s say you are working for certain organizations. The middle party might provide a fake check through your email. Some will advise you to spend half of the money on shopping and return the rest. While submitting the check to the bank, it might take some time before being processed. But the middle party might command you to give them their shares back as fast as possible. It is only after the payment that you notice it was a scam.

Many youths below the age of 28 have not used checks for a long time. They have less knowledge about fake and real bank checks. Federal instructions call upon the bank to make funds quickly on receiving a check. When some bank delays, the party may request money

What to do next

It is with high concern that every individual should be careful. Young adults should know that nothing comes as simple in this world. Depression, loneliness, and stress always drive youth to indulge in such activities. It’s recommended to get early education about some of these methods. Be careful.