LESSON 4
Scams
What you will learn in this lesson
1. Cybersecurity and Scams
2. Spotting Scams
3. Shopping safely online
4. Reporting cyber crimes and scams
It’s 4pm on a Saturday. Angela is browsing the Internet when a message came in on her Whatsapp.
What is your first impression of the message? Would you sign up for the promotion above?
Spotting Scams
Scams are actions that can be used to cheat someone out of money or personal information. It can happen through different ways, including online dating apps, email, social media sites, phone calls, text messages and more.
Let’s meet some typical scammers :
Image credit: Canva
Financial Scammer
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Romance Scammer
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Identity or medical information thief
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Tech Support Scam
What do scammers want?
Did you know?
A scammer who creates a fake account or identity to trick people into believing that they are talking to a real person is known as Catfishing.
Watch this Video!
Shopping Safely Online
You can also be scammed when you purchase items online, especially if it needs to be shipped.
Angela’s parents are going to celebrate their anniversary in a month and they have always wished to own the same phones. They've asked Angela to help them survey and buy a pair of new handphones online because they’re not tech savvy.
Help Angela examine the following deals to see if it’s okay to make a purchase. Click anywhere on the cards to see the deals.
Which deal do you think Angela should choose? Share your thoughts in the Padlet below.
After you have shared your thoughts, upvote the posts from your friends that you agree with.
Reporting Cybercrimes and Scams
Always keep an eye out for warning signs that indicate a scam, which can be:
Messages that contain grammatical or spelling errors.
Messages that force you to make decisions quickly.
Offers or deals that seem too good to be true.
You are being asked to click on a link, open an attachment, or enter personal information into an unknown or untrusted external website.
Image credit: Canva
Keep in mind that if you are a victim of a cyber crime, the first thing you should do is inform an adult!
If you experience a scam, it is advisable to:
Change your password right away with a strong and unique one.
If you paid a scammer with a credit or debit card, contact your bank or credit card company right away.
If your computer has a virus,
You can run a system scan using trusted antimalware and antivirus software.
If your software recommends taking action, follow the recommended steps.
You can fight fraud by protecting your device by following the recommended steps below:
Install antimalware and antivirus software and run regular scans.
Install any updates to apps, plug-ins, and software.
Set up multi-factor or two- factor authentication for personal accounts.
Back up important files and personal information using a secure method.
Image credit: mcmc.gov.my
In Malaysia, you can also report scams and other cybercrimes to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
Find out here how to complain to MCMC and the other agencies that you can report fraud, identity theft and hacking to.
Make sure to talk to an adult first before purchasing or downloading any software!
How to report scams?
If you encounter scammers or suspicious activity in social media, you can report their account for review by following these steps,
As previously mentioned, do tell an adult first! You can share with them some of the steps below.
If you are using any other apps and wish to report scams, you can Google search on “How to report scams on [App Name]” and follow through with the steps provided!
Angela almost falls victim to a scam.
Thus, she blogs about her experience so that her friends are more careful.
What do you think Angela should include in her blog to help her friends recognise scammers and what to do if they've been scammed?