Top Internet Fraud ScamsWhat are some of the top internet fraud scams that could affect travelers and expats abroad? Well be for I list them let me explain the complexity of online scams. The internet has made so many things possible. People living in different countries can send emails back and forth in seconds. They can chat via webcam and feel like they are near to each other. Unfortunately, the internet has also made it easier for criminals. They can easily victimize people around the clock, in every country, and rarely are apprehended by the police. Therefore, crimes via the internet are more widespread, affect more victims, and rarely understood enough by law enforcement authorities investigating them. Therefore, it is up to you to protect yourself from these top internet fraud scams. Be sure to keep your guard up against these crimes regardless if you are at home, vacationing, or living abroad. Almost everyone is vulnerable. So, now that that’s said let look at some of the top internet fraud scams. Email Scams There are many variations of these scams. One includes hackers sending emails to victims to them to open up emails. These emails contain viruses, Trojan horses, and worms. These are computer applications that destroy the victim’s computer. This occurs by either slowing the computer down, shutting it down, allowing the criminal to take control of the victim’s computer, or allows criminals to secretly view all the views save documents. Other similar scams are Nigerian email scams. These are emails sent to victims by criminal either operating from Nigeria or Nigerians living in other parts of the world. Without, stereotyping any culture, I would argue that Nigerian criminals are some of the best at scams in the world. They have been able to victimize thousands with elaborate tricks. However, understand that as a victim who probably will not know that the person is Nigerian. Often these criminals pose as foreign nationals from various countries. The most popular email scams used by Nigerians are 419 scams. These scams work like this: the victim receives an email stating that he/she has accidently been overbilled by a company. Therefore, the company needs to reimburse the victim for its clerical error. Although the victim does not own a company or has never ordered items from a company, greedy victims respond to the email. Another email is received from the victim explaining that they must pay taxes on taxes or administrative fees in order to receive the refund. The victim is required to send bank account or credit card information to pay the fees and then the money will be sent to them. After sending the information, criminals clean out the victim’s account and never send the money. Want more examples of the top internet fraud scams? Internet Business Scams These scams involve emails to victims about various business opportunities which can make them quick cash. Unfortunately, many of these are nothing more than money making scams for criminals. One example includes either an email to the victim or a website which explains that the U.S. government plans to purchase land in order to build a new embassy or consulate. The emails and websites offer millions of dollars to people who agree to sell there land; however, first the victim needs to send a deposit of hundreds of thousands of dollars to “reserve” their offer. Any victim sending the money loses their money and discovers that they have been scammed. Internet Dating Scams These types of scams like to prey on lonely people seeking companionship or love via the internet. With the number of dating websites steadily growing, the number of potential victims also increases. Many victims are travelers abroad and expats. For example, I heard of a story where a man looking for a relationship online found a “match” who lived in Ecuador. The woman built a relationship with the man over time via emails. After about a month she started asking him to send her money thru wire transfers to help. She explained that she lived with her family and that her country was very poor. The man agreed to send small amount, $100 to $200 USD at a time. Over six months the man ended up doing the over 20 times. That’s about $4000 USD! The story ends with the woman promising to marry the man, someday. Unfortunately for him they never got married or met each other in person. Other similar top internet fraud scams are Russian bride scams. These can occur via the internet or in person. When this occurs in person the victim, usually a foreigner male living or visiting Russia, is approached by an attractive woman and courted. The woman compliments and inflates the ego of her victim until she gains his confidence and trust. Later she attempts to receive money and gifts in exchange for marriage. The female criminal could also be attempting to gain citizenship to the victim’s country thru marriage. Investment Scams To pull of this scam, criminals approach foreigners living abroad, and attempt to get them to invest in bogus companies, stocks, or bonds. It is explained to the victim that the risk is very high but so is the reward. Some of these scams have rates of returns up to 20 percent. However, this is usually not the case. Investors take a chance, give away their money, and rarely ever see the money or the criminal again. Many victims later report that they saw the incident as a great opportunity to take a chance and win big in a foreign country. Unfortunately, the victims are the ones who end up losing. Remember the saying, if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. In closing, I would like to remind everyone that reporting internet scams is the best way to stop them. Many of these top internet fraud scams go unreported to law enforcement officials. Reporting helps to spread the word so that other people do not become victims. So if this happens to you, make sure and contact your home country’s authorities who are responsible for investigating internet crimes. Don’t feel embarrassed and do nothing. Doing something is always better than doing nothing. Report the crime. These are some of the top internet fraud scams victimizing travelers and expats.
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