Blog post: Online security
Hello and welcome to Scam Or Reliable!
Blog post: Online security
Malicious people are becoming increasingly inventive in their scamming attempts. They no longer seek only to get your money: they may also target your login details, your documents, your online accounts, your payment methods or your personal data.
You should know that scams generally work when 2 conditions come together:
1/ The scam is well put together, credible and looks real!
2/ It hits you at the wrong moment, when you are a little more vulnerable, rushed or preoccupied.
When these two conditions come together, even the most sceptical people, who say they do not understand how anyone could be deceived so easily, may be more likely to fall into the trap.
What is more, scammers are not fools. They often pretend to be a trusted person, a public official, a friend, a charity, technical support, a bank, a delivery company or a well-known business. They also take advantage of new technologies, social media, instant messaging, artificial intelligence and new online services to create ever more credible scenarios with the aim of convincing you to give them money or personal information.
The best way to protect yourself from most online traps is to always follow a few key points, stay alert and never rush!
Scams target everyone without distinction, and everyone is vulnerable at one time or another!
So here is a short list of tips to follow to help you deal every day with all these deceptions that bombard us throughout the year. You can also practise with the anti-fraud crash test to test your reflexes in situations close to real cases.
You know that scams exist, so stay alert.
When you deal with contacts, whether by phone, post, email, SMS, private message, in person or on social media, always consider the possibility that this approach may be a scam attempt.
Remember that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!
If you are not certain about the legitimacy of a person, a company, a shop, a product or a service, take the time to do some research.
Check the domain name, the legal notices, the seller’s identity, external reviews, the terms of sale and any negative testimonies. Also carry out an image search if a profile picture, a product or a document seems suspicious to you. If you have doubts about a specific brand, shop or service, the AI-assisted reliability scan can help you obtain a summary of the available public signals. If a message or email comes from a friend and it seems unusual, contact your friend directly through another channel to verify that they really sent it.
Do not open suspicious texts or pop-up windows, do not scan dubious QR codes and do not click on links or attachments in suspicious emails; delete them without opening them!
If in doubt, verify the contact’s identity through an independent source such as an official website, a telephone directory or an online search. Do not use the contact details provided in the message you received.
Do not respond to automated calls, calls offering you gifts, or calls about your computer, your bank, your parcel or your online account when they ask for urgent action, a code, a payment or remote access, even if they mention a well-known company or a business you deal with – Hang up!
Put a lock on your letterbox and shred your bills and other important documents before throwing them away. Keep your passwords, recovery codes, identity documents and identification numbers in a safe place.
Be very careful about how much personal information you share on social media because scammers can use this information and these photos to create fake identities, impersonate your profile, imitate your voice or target you with a more credible online scam.
Never make an impulsive decision. Fraudsters want you to make decisions quickly. They will make you believe there is urgency, that you absolutely must make a decision quickly or risk losing benefits, and in some cases they may even become aggressive for the sole purpose of unsettling you.
So before giving your money or your personal information, take time to think, talk about it with people around you, carry out an online search, but do not make a decision immediately!
In any case, if it is not a scam, you will always have a way to contact them again later!
Always use password, passcode, fingerprint or facial recognition protection, do not share access with other users (including remotely), keep your security software, browsers, apps and operating system up to date, then back up your data regularly.
Protect your Wi-Fi network with a strong password and avoid using public computers or unknown Wi-Fi access points to access online banking services or provide sensitive personal information.
Choose passwords that are difficult for others to guess and update them when a service announces a data breach or when there is any doubt.
A strong password should be long, unique and impossible to guess. Ideally, you should use a reliable password manager to create and store different passwords for each account.
Do not use the same password for every account / profile and do not share your passwords with anyone. Whenever possible, also enable two-factor authentication, preferably using an authentication app, a security key or a safer method than a simple code received by SMS.
If you use social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn or WhatsApp, be careful about the people you connect with and learn how to use your privacy and security settings to make sure you stay safe. Be wary of fake profiles, fake competitions, persistent private messages, voting requests, login links and accounts that imitate a known person or brand. If you recognise suspicious behaviour, have clicked on spam or have been the victim of an online scam, take steps to secure your account and make sure to report it. If you are unsure about the right channel to use, the fraud reporting assistant can help you better direct your steps.
Never send money and never give credit card information, online account details, verification codes, login codes, copies of personal documents or identification selfies to anyone you do not know or do not trust completely.
Never agree to transfer money or goods for someone else!
Fraudsters will often ask you to use an unusual payment method such as prepaid debit cards, gift cards, vouchers, top-ups, instant transfers, money transfer services or cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
Be wary of offers that seem too good to be true and always use an online payment provider that you know and trust.
Be wary of free trials or €1 trials which are generally used to subscribe you and charge you monthly until cancellation. Before accepting one of these trials, read the terms and conditions of the sales website, verify the seller’s identity, look for independent reviews, consult Arnaque Ou Fiable or use the AI-assisted reliability scan when you want to check a shop, a brand, a product or a service.
Think twice before using virtual currencies (such as Bitcoin) – they do not have the same protections as other payment methods, which means you cannot get your money back once you have sent it.
When making payments online, always check that the site on which you carry out the transaction has a secure connection (HTTPS URL with the small locked padlock in the browser’s address bar). Be careful, however: the padlock mainly indicates that the connection is encrypted; it does not by itself prove that the site is reliable.
While browsing, you will visit many different web pages. Some of them may damage your computer, steal your login details, display fake security alerts or try to push you into installing a dangerous file if you are not careful.
Here are a few tips:
Please do not download executables, apps, browser extensions, fake updates or other potentially dangerous files, and do not click on links that do not seem completely legitimate to you. We also suggest that you open files only from known official websites or from sources you trust completely.
The file formats listed below should not be considered automatically safe. They may contain malicious links, macros, deceptive forms or be used to push you towards a fake login page:
– .txt (text file)
– .ppt or .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint)
– .doc or .docx (Microsoft Word)
– .xls or .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)
– .pdf (Adobe Acrobat Reader)
It is strongly recommended that you have antivirus and antispyware protection on your computer. Once installed, this software must be updated frequently because otherwise your computer will not be 100% protected. There are many free and paid products available on the web.
See our article about antivirus and spyware software.
If you come across a page containing a warning message such as ” Warning – visiting this website may harm your computer “, or if your antivirus software warns you about a page, you must under no circumstances try to visit the page!
You may also come across pages asking you to install an app, an extension, a video player, an update, a security tool or a supposedly essential module. Be especially wary of these requests when they appear on an unknown site or after clicking a link received by message.
Do not forget: scammers do not discriminate and target everyone regardless of nationality, social status, religion, skin colour or age, so: Protect Yourself and Stay Alert!
Have you been scammed? Start by organising the first steps with our interactive guide for fraud victims, then use the fraud reporting assistant to identify the reporting channel best suited to your situation.
Scam Or Reliable: The free and independent reference dedicated to anti-fraud information, the analysis of deceptive practices and the protection of consumers against online risks. Our team publishes articles, alerts and educational content to help internet users spot signs of scams, understand fraud mechanisms and adopt the right reflexes when faced with digital scams.
Its goal: to contribute to the prevention of scams, phishing, fake websites, impersonation and online commercial manipulation by providing clear, rigorous and useful content based on the analysis of verifiable signals, testimonies and reliable sources.
Warnings: The information presented on this blog is provided for informational and preventive purposes only. It does not constitute official recommendations or personalised legal, financial or technical advice. It must be verified with the relevant organisations, services or contacts depending on the situation. We are not responsible for errors, omissions or inappropriate use of the information provided on this site. If you notice any inaccuracy, please let us know.