All about Holiday Scams

It’s the festive season and everyone wants to travel. Now let us help you avoid any scams that you might come across when traveling or on your holiday as we both know this will be the worst! No one wants to be worried over this great festive season.

New research into cybersecurity has said that the UK alone has lost about 7M to fake sites and fraud in 2018. We are going to show you the five most common scams

Nowadays a fraudster will use increasingly sophisticated methods! They will target the most popular destination and time of the year to start with. They are well aware that we are all looking for great deals. As victims often find out just before they travel or even in-resort that they have3 been defrauded, it can then be difficult and expensive to obtain a legitimate replacement booking.

Some research we did and found out that 1 in 5 Brits in their lifetime are either been scammed or nearly scammed. As McAfee believes the actual figures are likely to be much higher as lots of people don’t actually report this issues small or big. As per below the big 5 scams that are common.

1. Fake Websites that look real

2. Being directed away from trusted sites for payment

3. Amazing Deals received via pop-up, emails and texts

4. Fake accommodation listings

5. Using unsecured networks

The above is just the simple one’s we can advise. Always just go with your gut feeling and if you do not know ask. Always report a scam or report it if you feel that it’s being suspicious activity.

Also always remember to connect with caution and avoid sharing sensitive data or bank account details. Consider using a VPN to help keep your connection secure. If you are going to rent do call the agent directly for information other than just sending an email or sms, always double check and do a little research and look at the comments and rates of the accommodation.

Try and book through a place that is well know or maybe a place that a family or friend has been to and recommended you to go. Another thing you can check is the payment page. Check for https:// rather than (http://) which should always appear on the payment page. Misspellings, additional words or characters, fuzzy or low-resolution pictures and logos are also be indicators of fraudulent website.

Otherwise you can always contact us! 

0211100422 or contact@osint.co.za or contact@tcgforensics.co.za

How to protect yourself from Catfishing

With the increase in social interactions being done online, there has been an increase in relationships that are being built over social media networks as well as apps such as Tinder, etc. Did you know that a recent study showed that 1 in 5 relationships began online?

If things continue like this then by the year 2040, almost 70% of people in the world will meet their significant other online via a social media network or an app!

Because everything is online these days, scammers have taken advantage of this opportunity to con those who are looking for love online. Catfishing is an online scam where someone creates a fake online identity for the purpose of starting a fake relationship and usually scamming people out of their money over a period of time.

Are you dating online or thinking about dating online?

The person is too good to be true – 

They are extremely rich, attractive and glamourous.

The relationship is moving unnaturally fast – 

They profess their undying love for you unusually early and try to rush the relationship along.

They can never meet you in person – 

They claim they are always on the road or something always comes up so they can never meet you in person.

Their social media presence is very vague – 

They have few friends and barely any photos and the photos they do have all look as if they may have been stolen.

Never give money out to someone you’ve met on the internet, even if you feel that you can trust them, do not let someone play on your desire for love!

4 Scams in South Africa that are on the Rise

It is vital that you do not fall into an online scammers trap, especially recently as online scams have been on the rise in South Africa.

Here are the most common signs of these four popular online scams that you need to be aware of in order to not become the next victim.

Online Goods. Scammers love to target those who are selling valuables online. They may tell you that they want to meet and pick up the goods and pay via EFT. Either they will reverse the transfer once they have received the goods or they will send you fake proof of payment.

Always meet in a safe, public environment and rather accept payments in cash only.

Account Information. If you receive an email or SMS from your bank claiming that your account number or information has been changed, be very wary! A lot of people fall for this and end up paying a scammer for absolutely nothing, believing that it is a legitimate message from their bank.

If you receive messages like this, rather contact your bank to double-check that it is real.

Phone Blocking. Similar to other scams where you unknowingly give out your private information, a scammer will block your phone so you cannot see that they are withdrawing your money. This means you can’t take the correct steps to stop the scam because you do not realise it is happening.

Fake Loans. If you apply for a loan online be aware of fake companies. They are easy to spot because they will approve your loan, regardless of the amount you request, however, there will be an initiation fee to get the loan.

Do not ever pay a fee in order to receive a loan!

Have you been the victim of a scam? Please contact our OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) department on 021 110 0422 or email contact@osint.co.za