Here are the scams people keep falling for, according to Reddit
Hailing itself as “The front page of the internet,” Reddit is among the most popular sites in the world. Over 50 million people use the site daily. Anybody can sign up for an account and post information, images and videos. Want to know more? Tap or click here for our beginner’s guide to Reddit.
When a Redditor posted, “What’s a scam that so many people fall for without realizing it?” hundreds of replies followed. Here are some scams you need to watch out for.
Your grandson is in trouble
Crooks are using AI to impersonate people’s voices, then call their family members to ask for money to get them out of a jam. A standard scheme is to say they need bail money to get out of jail.
Here’s how to avoid falling for this one:
- When you get a panicked call from a loved one, end the call as soon as you can.
- Call them directly and ask if they’re really in danger. They’re likely fine and there’s nothing to worry about.
- If you can’t get a hold of them, reach out to a mutual family member or friend to make sure they’re OK.
Tip: Talk to your elderly loved ones about this all-too-common scam.
Pyramid schemes
Free beauty seminars or weight loss solutions are almost always multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes. The only way to make money is to recruit others to sell the same stuff they’re trying to offload on friends and family, including press-on nails, supplements, candles and even Bitcoin.
“Put in $500 to get $35,000 back!” That’s another one you’ll find. Put in a small amount of money now, and you’ll get it back, plus a significant profit sometime down the line. The catch is you’ll have to find more people to invest their money in the scheme.
While there are legit MLM companies (Avon, Tupperware), those at the top are usually the only ones who make big money. The majority of people lose money. Avoid MLM at all costs, and if you know someone involved, get them out!
Want to know if joining a MLM company is right for you? Check out the company’s ratings with the Better Business Bureau and follow the FTC’s guidelines on spotting a pyramid scheme.
Reddit: Beginner’s guide to using the front page of the internet
It doesn’t matter if you’re a tech-savvy internet warrior or an occasional web researcher. Chances are if you’ve searched the web for answers for any topic, you’ve stumbled upon a website called Reddit.
It’s not just the place where viral content is born. It’s also a venue where questions are answered, debates are waged and community knowledge is shared. And now Reddit is being used to manipulate the stock market. Tap or click here for details on GameStop’s wild ride and the lawsuit it brought on.
Avoid these imposter VPN extensions that hijack your browser search results
VPNs are designed to protect your privacy when you browse the web, so they’re the last thing you’d expect to put your data at risk.
That’s why scammers will sometimes disguise their malware as VPN extensions. It’s an easy way for them to slip malware and spam by you without you noticing. Tap or click here to see how three iPhone VPNs secretly installed fleeceware on victim’s phones.
Someone mooching your Netflix account? Here's what you can do about it
If you have a Netflix account, there is a good chance you are not the only person using it. We give our logins to our family and sometimes even friends so everyone can be on the same account. But, what happens when you do this and forget who you gave it to? Next thing you know, someone who you don’t want is in your account. That’s exactly what happened to one man in the most uncomfortable way.