It’s easy to think you’d never fall for an online scam, but cybercrime is becoming more common and more sophisticated every year.
Make sure you know what the threats are, how to avoid them and what to do if you are scammed.
How common are online scams?
Online scams are common around the world, including in the UK. And as generative AI becomes more accessible, they’re becoming more convincing.
While you may think it’s only elderly or less tech-savvy people who are conned, more and more young people are falling victim to scams too.
The UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) has released research showing almost half of eight to 17-year-olds have been scammed online.
What type of scams are most common?
There are so many different types of scams, but some common ones include:
- phishing scams on social media
- malicious QR codes
- fake job postings
- phony retail websites
- WhatsApp scams
- deepfake calls
How are online scams carried out?
There are some common scam methods to look out for so you can protect yourself.
Phishing
Phishing is one of the most popular online scam methods in the world, and can be done by email, text, social media message or even over the phone.
It’s when a scammer pretends to be a trusted person or company to trick a victim into giving up sensitive information.
A typical phishing scam looks something like this:
- The scammer contacts a potential victim, pretending to be a trusted person like a social media staff member or from an organisation you trust, like your bank.
- They say you need to log in to your account to check a suspicious sign-in from an unregistered device. This adds a sense of urgency.
- You’re prompted to click on a link that seems to lead to the relevant login page, so you can check the previous suspicious sign-in. Thinking the message is real and trustworthy, you click on the link and enter your details.
- The URL given by the scammer actually leads to a malicious webpage designed to record everything you type. When you type in your username and password, the scammer records it and can now log into your account.
If you’re suspicious of a message, don’t use the contact details in the message. Instead, contact the company or person through a trusted channel – like their official website, app or customer service portal.
Fake and malicious websites
No matter how trustworthy a website looks, there’s always a chance that it might not be. They’re often designed to look identical to official webpages and can be very convincing.
They’re dangerous because they:
- can be used to steal your data
- could load malware onto your device, sometimes without you even realising
- might be fitted with a keylogger, which can record anything you type on your keyboard
A good sign is if there’s a padlock icon in the address bar and if it starts with ‘https://’.
Malware and viruses
Malware and viruses can do a lot of damage on our devices.
Both kinds of software are dangerous, but viruses can spread itself and infect other devices on their own, while malware can’t.
Malware or viruses can infect your device in many ways, including:
- opening a malicious link or attachment
- inserting an infected USB drive
- malicious downloads (apps, videos, etc.)
- interacting with a malicious advert
- file torrenting
How to avoid online scams
While online scams are very common, there are things you can do to lower the risk of falling victim to them.
Run checks before clicking
Before clicking on any links or attachments, run a few checks:
- Enter the live URL into an online link checker (you can find lots of options online) to see if it's flagged as suspicious or dangerous.
- Use your antivirus’s attachment checker if it comes with this feature.
- Use your browser to search for the name of the website you’re looking for instead of using a link someone gave you.
- Check to see if a sender’s email looks suspicious and oddly formatted (e.g. d0n0treply@admiral.co.uk instead of donotreply@admiral.co.uk).
- Search in your browser the support email of the company the email claims to be from to see if the two match.
Block suspicious emails and use spam filters
If you think an email looks suspicious and it doesn’t match the official support email of the company it claims to be from, block the address.
Your email provider usually enables spam filters by default. These filters detect emails that are likely spam and move them to a spam inbox.
If you don’t have a spam inbox, head into your security and privacy settings and turn on your spam features.
Look after your passwords
To improve your password security and to help protect your online accounts, you should:
- use a different password for each account
- store your passwords securely (e.g. in a trusted password manager app)
Have a cybersecurity ‘safe word’
Cybercriminals are getting smarter. With AI, they can now impersonate you through text messages, emails and even phone calls.
By setting up a safe word with your friends and family, you can help them to protect themselves against scammers trying to impersonate you.
They can just ask whoever’s on the phone to say the safe word you’ve agreed on. If they don’t know it, it isn’t really you!
Other tips
Along with the tips above, you should also consider:
- regularly updating your antivirus software
- never leaving your devices unlocked in public
- avoiding public Wi-Fi networks
- only using trusted USB drives
Keeping your children safe online
To keep your children safe from cybercriminals, you should:
- have a chat about the risks of being online
- set some rules about what they should and shouldn’t be doing online
- have regular check-ins to make sure they’re not using anything dangerous or inappropriate
- turn on parental controls on your operating system and browsers
- check their devices occasionally to make sure they’re not visiting any dangerous websites
What to do if you think you’ve been scammed
If you think you’ve fallen victim to an online scam, you should:
- Freeze your card immediately – also, let your card provider know what’s happened if you’ve shared your card details.
- Change your username and password – and sign out of all devices, if you’ve given login details and still have account access.
- Contact the support team of the platform you’ve used – if you’ve given login details and no longer have access to your account (for example, Facebook or Lloyds Bank).
- Delete any files that are automatically downloaded onto your device – plus, exit the website and run a scan with your antivirus software.
Admiral’s Personal Cyber and Identity Theft Helpline
Being victim to cybercrime can feel really isolating, but you don’t have to face it alone.
If you have our Platinum home insurance or Home Legal Expenses added to your policy, you have access to our 24/7 personal cyber and identity theft helpline.
This means you can get support and advice from experienced fraud and cyber specialists.
They’ll work with you to work out what’s happened, contain the damage and discuss your next steps.
Plus, they’ll give you some important advice on how to protect yourself in the future.
To see if you have access to the helpline, check your cover in MyAccount.
