What is an online charity scam?

Social media sites such as Facebook have a range of scams, one of the most recent being fake fundraising campaigns!

The scammers will make an emotional post, provide their banking details and add a couple of sad comments as well. The post will usually be a plea for help for a terminally ill child or to help an animal rescue organization.

New scamming groups appear every month, each with similar details and posts and even though they are shut down on a regular basis, people still fall for the scam and pay money to the scammers anyway.

How can you spot an online charity scam?

Age of the group. The fake charity group will only be a few weeks old and contain barely any posts, but they have been shared and reposted thousands of times. This is usually the first signs that the charity is a scam! A real organization or charity will take a long period of time to become established and there will be multiple posts as well as more information about the cause.

Pressure to feel pity. Using shocking videos and photos as well as lots of capitalized letters and exclamation points will pressurize you into acting quickly and spontaneously. A real charity will never resort to using these measures, because they are there to build relationships, on the other hand, scammers just want to raise money for themselves.

No supporting documentation. Scammer groups will have little to no medical reports or records to prove their cause or charity organization. And if they do have the documentation you should always read through it thoroughly to make sure the details are the same as the assistance they are asking for.

Responding to questions. It is not uncommon for people who are concerned about someone’s health or wellbeing to ask the people who created the group for information about the cause as well as updates on the situation. If the group is a scam these questions will be ignored, deleted or the user will be banned.

Websites. Sometimes links to a legitimate website for the charity or cause are posted in the group, this is how scammers will trick you into trusting them. This is to prove their legitimacy by showing they have a website presence. The website it links to often looks real, but be wary of inputting any of your personal information. Real charity foundations will always post how they spend the money they have collected, if not, you cannot trust that organization.

The desire to help others is great, but it is best to always stop and think first instead of acting impulsively.

For assistance and more information about online scams, please contact OSINT on 021 110 0422 or email contact@osint.co.za

Social Media Safety – Facebook

With the rise of social media came the rise of private information becoming accessible to just about anyone who knows how to use the internet!

With the right safety precautions you can still enjoy Facebook and other social media networks, but always make sure to use these safety tips.

Make sure your password is secure

With all your personal information exposed on Facebook, it can be easy for someone to guess your password. A good password should have a mixture of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.

Don’t friend people you don’t know

If you don’t know who they are why would you become friends with them? It may seem innocent, but cybercriminals often use fake profiles to send out spam and even steal your personal info.

Protect your location

While it may seem fun to share a photo of yourself and then add your location, it has some hidden risks. Potential criminals can easily see whether you are home or not, allowing them to take advantage and break in. Another danger you could face includes stalkers!

Change who can see your personal information

Have you listed your address and phone number on Facebook? It may seem handy to do so, but you don’t want everyone seeing this information. For maximum privacy, make sure to set these to be “me only” or choose who gets to see what.

NEVER overshare

The best way to be safe? Have some common sense! Be sure that what you’re posting online will not compromise your safety. Did you know that a deleted photo will remain on the Facebook servers for months after it is gone? It is harder to retract information, so simply do not share it in the first place!

It’s better to be safe than sorry, so go ahead and use these safety tips!

Need help with your social media security? Contact our Digital Forensics department on 021 110 0422 or email contact@tcgforensics.co.za

How to spot a Social Media Scam

Social media has made it possible for people to interact with each other from all over the world – everyone knows what everyone else is doing, where they’re going on vacation, when they got married, etc.

However, social media networks have also made it possible for more users to become victims of scams. Over the last few years, social media scams have basically quadrupled with fake accounts popping up everywhere.

Don’t become the next victim of a scam – here’s how to spot, prevent and deal with social media scams:

- There is an ad or poster offering an amazing deal or job that sounds too good to be true.
- A job, prize or loan application asks you to pay upfront beforehand.
- A popular company uses a Yahoo or Gmail email account to contact you.
- You are urged to act immediately!
- They ask you to share your private information.
- You get a friend request from a “friend” but they ask you random questions or for money.

How to prevent social media scams from happening:

- Preventing social media scams is easy; all you have to do is use your common sense!
- Always think before you click on something.
- If it sounds dodgy or overly intrusive, ignore it.
- Never share your personal information on social media sites.
- Be wary when it comes to loan scams – here are the red flags to look out for.
- Never agree to pay for something upfront without being certain that it’s legitimate.
- Go through your social media privacy settings on a regular basis to ensure they haven’t changed.
- Never post any personal information about yourself that can be stolen and used to steal your identity.

If you’re a victim, here’s what to do:

- Shut down your computer and use a different device to change all your passwords immediately.
- Put out a fraud alert on your credit to stop any loans or lines of credit the scammer may try to take out.
- Call our OSINT division for professional assistance: 021 110 0422 | contact@osint.co.za
- Tell your friends so that they know about the scam and can avoid it if it pops up on their social media feeds.

Do not let the social media scammers bait and hook you – always be safe online!

Use Facebook more safely with these 5 Security Tips

Facebook is an awesome way to stay in touch with your friends and family members, however, you need to remember to always be careful about the private information your reveal because it might end up in the wrong hands!

These days a range of financial scams can be used to try and steal your money, one of them is cybercriminals making fake Facebook profiles and sending friend requests in order to gain your personal information.

This is why it is vital to be careful when you are using Facebook as well as any other social media network.

Here are 5 important Facebook security tips:

1. Always verify all Facebook contacts. Make sure that you are actually talking to the person you think you’re talking to and not a criminal trying to gain your personal information or money.

2. Protect your financial information. Never tell anyone about your private banking details such as your bank account details, credit card numbers and passwords or any other financial data on Facebook.

3. Be suspicious of strangers. Never add or accept any friend requests from people that you do not know.

4. Keep your password a secret. Always take extra care about the password you choose as it is one of the most vital parts of your Facebook security.

- Use a complicated password that is at least 12 characters and consists of upper and lower case letters, a number and special symbol.
- Remember to change your password on a regular basis.
- Never use the same passwords for all your accounts.

5. Secure all your devices. Make sure to install anti-malware software on your computer, laptop, smartphone, tablet – whatever devices you use – to ensure that everything is protected from viruses as well as any other threats.

Need assistance with your Facebook security? Have you been the victim on Facebook? Please contact our OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) Division on 021 110 0422 or email contact@osint.co.za | www.osint.co.za

10 silly things you do online that are putting you in danger!

You may not be someone who takes risks. You may be someone who follows all the rules, you pay your bills on time, you always wear your seatbelt and you even put on sunblock when it’s a cloudy day.

But do you follow all the rules when you’re online? Are you exposing yourself and your money to the dangers that lurk on the internet? Here are 10 silly things that you might be doing that put you at risk!

1. You just assume that online banking websites are safe. Cybercriminals will go where your money goes, so going to a fake banking site and not noticing before you put in your private login details and password can easily lead to cyber theft.

2. You’re doing your online shopping in shady places. You see a great deal online, but you need to be cautious before you visit just any online shop and click “Add to Cart.” Always enter the URL directly and make sure the site is reliable and well-known.

3. You use the same password for everything. If you’re not taking the time to think of unique, different passwords for all your accounts then cybercriminals will have no trouble stealing your money. Each one of your passwords should be a minimum of 12 characters and include upper class and lower class letters, at least one number and a special character.

4. You don’t know who your friends are. It might make you feel cool to be friends with everyone from your hometown, but it is always advised to be cautious when accepting just any friend request on Facebook. Do not accept anyone you don’t know personally!

5. You never question anything. You should always be on alert when you go online and question how legit the websites are when you visit them, you could potentially lose money and private data. Never click on ads and links from suspicious emails or SMS messages.

6. You’re being too open. You might just think it’s a Facebook post, but when you include personal details such as your address, school, place of work or family history then you’re giving cybercriminals clues to gain your passwords.

7. You never bother to read the fine print. Nobody enjoys reading the Terms and Conditions that is why online businesses know they can take advantage and sneak some things past you. Do not accept the Ts and Cs without reading them or you could be giving away your online privacy.

8. You do your shopping and banking using public Wi-Fi. Cybercriminals love to use public Wi-Fi hotspots to trick you into connecting to a malicious network. Always be wary of public Wi-Fi links and make sure your network is completely secure – your best bet is to just use your data connection for important transactions!

9. You jailbreak your mobile devices. By jailbreaking your device you are doing more than adding features, you are taking away vital protections and inviting cybercriminals to hack your smartphone or tablet. Avoid jailbreaks, third party download sites and suspicious apps.

10. You don’t know what your kids are doing online. If you have children you should always know what websites they are visiting as well as what social media networks they are using. The internet is going to be a part of their life whether you like it or not, so help them learn about cyberbullying and online etiquette.

Are you exposing yourself as well as your private data to the dangerous cybercriminals that lurk online? If so, be sure to take the right steps to avoid making these silly mistakes. 

Should you need any assistance or have any questions please contact the OSINT | Open Source Intelligence Division or Digital Forensics on 021 110 0422 or email contact@osint.co.za additionally you can take a look at the website www.osint.co.za | www.tcgforensics.co.za