Mark Gilbert ATN: Three Ways to Spot an Online Scam

Online scams are scary, but you can prevent yourself or your loved ones from falling for one by knowing what to look for, notes Mark Gilbert ATN.

Here are some tell-tale signs that you're dealing with an online scammer.

They say you've won a huge prize.

If you receive a message that you've won an enormous sum of cash in a sweepstakes you don't remember joining, it's a scam. Scammers may say that all you need to do to claim your prize is give them your banking information or a small fee.

When you enter a real lottery or sweepstakes, it's usually up to you to contact the organizers to claim your prize; Mark Gilbert ATN points out. Sweepstakes organizers aren't likely to call you to give you money.

They want you to pay in a certain way.

Scammers typically ask you to pay them using money orders, gift card payments, or cryptocurrency (like Bitcoin). Scammers want payments in forms that don't give consumers protection, says Mark Gilbert ATN.

Bitcoin, for example, is typically hard to trace and unreversible. Legitimate organizations will seldom, if ever, ask you to pay using a specific payment method, especially Bitcoin.

When you make online payments, it's important to use a secure service like PayPal, adds Mark Gilbert ATN. PayPal has features like end-to-end encryption to keep customers safe.

They say it's an emergency.

Scammers often make you panic by saying you owe some money to a government agency and must pay them immediately to avoid arrest. Or the scammer may try to tug at your heartstrings by pretending to be a distant relative in danger who needs money.

Scammers want you to give them your personal information or pay them quickly — before you can think, notes Mark Gilbert ATN. If someone tells you to pay them immediately via phone, text, or email, they're likely a scammer.

For more of Mark Gilbert ATN's blogs on online shopping and sales, check out this page.