Table of Contents
Common types of cyber crime fraud cases
1. Phishing
Phishing is quite similar to its homonym “fishing”, where one puts a bait to catch a fish. In the case of phishing, hackers try acquiring your account username and password by sending you emails with links to fake websites which look eerily similar to the real deal. Such emails usually ask you to fill in your account’s private details for important use. Once you give it your details are accessible to the hackers who then have the freedom to do anything with your account. They might transfer all your money or even delete all your things.
The below image is one such example. It might look like a valid Gmail mail but is actually redirecting the user to a fake website. In such cases, it is important to note the authenticity of the URL you are redirecting to. Also, check whether it has HTTPS as a suffix to its URL.
2. Nigerian Scam
Nigerian scam or advance scam or lottery scam occurs when you receive a random mail from a foreigner telling you that they want to share their inheritance or wealth with you. This feels like winning a lottery for the person of course. But in return of sending you this wealth, they ask you for a fee, which is mandatory for their bank. Once you transfer this fee in return for the millions promised, the criminal runs away with your money, never to be seen again. This cyber crime fraud case is known as the Nigerian scam since many such cases originate from the country. Find some examples of such scam emails are below.
3. CEO Scam or Company Scam
In this case, an accountant or financial employee of a company might receive an email from his superior such as CEO or his employee or vendor asking to clear payment in the given bank account details. The name of the email sender might be recognizable but the email of the sender is usually fake. n a hurry, the accountant might ake the payment without checking these details, only to later realize his mistake. This cyber crime fraud has recently picked up in India too. See an example of it below.
4. Online Shopping Scam
An extremely common kind of cyber crime fraud. Such cases happen when one receives a WhatsApp message or text asking you to immediately purchase some product at the unbelievable discount happening on an e-commerce website. You might click on the link to find the website looking genuine but it is definitely a fake one. You might even place your order and give all your account details on the fake website. Hence, you lose the money and never end up getting your order. Common samples of such messages can be seen below.
5. Government Website Scam
This cyber crime fraud case happens when one visits a website thinking it to be an official government one but it isn’t. An example would be the case of Ishan LLB which we spoke about earlier. Ishan also faked the Madrassa Education Board government website to lure subscribers to his YouTube channel. Often people give their personal details on such sites which are sold by the site owners to third parties for a large sum of amount. In India itself, several fake websites of Ayushman Bharat Yojana have been going around. The issue is such a nuisance that the government had to announce the list of fake websites to aware the citizens.
6. Bank Website/ App Scam
Fake websites of banks which one might mistake to be real and enter their banking details only to lose all their savings. Such a fake website was seen for RBI. Even banking apps such as PayPal or BHIM UPI have fake apps available on the Playstore now. One might download and use them by putting in their details. Thus, falling prey to hackers.
7. Job Scam
One might get emails assuring them of a job opportunity at a reputed firm. The catch though is to make an initial payment for the job interview. The people behind such scams also seem genuine as they lure you into the trap. Once you make the payment, all contact is lost and the job interview never happens.
Tips to avoid cyber crime fraud case
- Check the Favicon, the top-right icon of the website. This can be anything the company chooses.
- The Top Level Domain is the words which the URL are ending. This can be .com or .org or .in, etc.
- The words which occur before the Domain Name are the Sub-Level Domain.
- Lastly, the File Path is the word occurring after the .com after a slash.
- The SSL icon is the small lock icon ensuring the safety of the website.
- The Domain Name is the word before the top-level domain. So the words occurring before the .com or .in or .org is the Domain Name. This should be the exact domain name of the brand. If it seems different from what the actual brand name is, then it is probably a fake website. Furthermore, typing the wrong spelling of the website might also lead you to a fake website.
- Websites beginning with HTTP are insecure since they do not have an encoding of the text on the website. Meanwhile, websites beginning with HTTPS are sucre and safe to use, since they have an SSL Certificate. Such HTTPS websites have a lock icon at the beginning of the URL. This SSL Certificate is an important Connection Security Indicator and must not be ignored. On the other hand, the fake websites have a “Not Secure” warning given on the URL itself. It is advisable not to give your private information on such websites.
- Do not easily trust any WhatsApp message which you receive. The government does not send official notices through WhatsApp. These are mostly fake cases of cyber crime. It is not advisable to verify your personal details on the website links given in such messages. It is also not recommended to forward such messages to others.
- Verify the email address of the sender before believing it and clicking on the links given in it. Never give your username and password on such links.
- Never pay any advance to any person asking for it.
- Use good and trusted antivirus software on your devices.
Watch our video on this important issue of cyber crime fraud case below.
Also read, How to check for a fake university degree?
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