How to Avoid Online Scams in 2024: Internet Safety Guide

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Please refer to this guide if you want to know how to avoid online scams when shopping online or searching for online work.

Online jobs: Are They Scams?

Do you want to work online? Are you aware of how online platforms can earn money? Do you know about the online scams that are prevalent nowadays?

If not, read this article until the end and find out the truth about online scams.

I had different options for work after leaving the automobile industry. Since I did not want to work a job, I chose my own path, i.e., working online. I was firm in my decision, although it was challenging.

A tedious job life or a free life (it also requires hard work, sorry, smart work too) were my two choices, and I chose the latter. 

After that, I began researching what to do online and how to do it.

I read thousands of ebooks from well-known authors, watched videos, and surfed many web pages to date, and even today, I learn new things. I have tried many methods to earn online, but only a few of them have proven reliable.

However, things didn’t always go as planned. While training myself in online work, I also lost valuable time and some hard-earned money. 

I work 15-16 hours a day, even today. You won’t believe it, but it’s true. Due to my passion only, It becomes possible. Otherwise, you would have seen more than 90% of people leave this after being extremely disappointed.

Here I will tell you the things or scams to avoid while working online. I don’t want that to happen with my readers. You and your friends shouldn’t get affected by scams or online frauds. As the internet is full of scammers claiming huge amounts of money within a very short time, always keep yourself far away from them.

Coming straight to the point, if you want to work online and earn a huge profit as a long-term business, you should go thoroughly through this article.

Most Common Online Scams and Frauds for Money

1. Data Entry Jobs (Work From Home Jobs)

You probably have heard the word Data Entry. But do you know the data entry and why it is required? 

Often, when someone, an individual, or any organization has data in a format other than digital, they prepare it for safe storage by converting it to digital format.

Digital data can be organized or accessed quickly and easily. For example, you can store thousands of papers in a single digital chip. Data entry involves this basic concept.

However, converting traditional data into digital form is not an easy task. Therefore, you’ll need training for these jobs, especially typing and basic computer skills with sufficient knowledge about the internet.

The people in medical transcription, medical billing, and administrative offices (The Government of India also provides the data entry job of captcha filling at digitizeindia.gov.in) mainly offer these jobs.

They are highly competitive, and you will need time to become a master in that.

Even if you become highly skilled in data entry, you will need good sources to get work that can give you sufficient money, which is difficult.

How to Avoid Online Scams Requiring Payment for Data Entry Jobs

The scams of data entry start from this point. People want data entry jobs, and scammers get the advantage of opportunities to make money from you.

They claim to provide the training and resources for data entry jobs from your home.

When you give money to register or deliver the training package, they disappear and never come back.

The registration fees are between $10-$1200 but generally around $50 (around INR 4400).

They provide the CD or PDF books through that package that already exists on the web for free. If you want to do this, please confirm whether the source is legitimate or not. 

You’re smart enough to know what to do if they ask you for the registration fees.

Note: Many reputed companies hire people for data entry work from their offices only. In such cases, you can work on the data entry. You will make less money, but there is no scam involved. You can take advantage of this opportunity if they are ready for outsourcing. Don’t forget to sign a valid contract or take at least 50% amount upfront.

2. Get Quick-Rich Schemes

It would be best to turn them down immediately when someone claims to make you rich overnight for a few bucks (around $10-$2000).

They can provide hundreds of fake payment proofs, luxury lifestyles, and comments from different people to make you comfortable. However, if you invest in such schemes or plans, you will only regret it.

Some people claim you can become millionaires in 1 month by spending just a few dollars, which isn’t true. Any field will require you to study and put in the effort.

If you find such lucrative offers, ignore them. Even by mistake, signing up for their schemes will flood your inbox with spam. Since spammers are good at marketing, I am pretty sure that once you are trapped, they will sell you their quick-rich formula or tutorial. You’ll never know when you have become a victim.

They often display their fake affiliation with popular brands like Google, Facebook, Samsung, Apple, Yahoo, and Bing to establish trust. So please don’t fall for quick rich schemes, as they will cause you to lose your hard-earned money.

From the beginning, it takes a lot of work to create, design, and promote a blog or website.

If you want to go for affiliate marketing or drop shipping, you will need extreme effort to succeed.

Note: Avoid the quick rich schemes at any cost, even don’ subscribe to their newsletter.

3. PTC and GPT Websites/Online Surveys/Reading Emails/ Web Surfing

Although the point appears very broad, all phrases included belong to the same category, i.e., time wasters. 

All PTC (Paid To Click) and GPT (Group Paid Tasks) websites/ online surveys/ email reading, and web surfing schemes are time-consuming and pay a very tiny amount for your work. 

While they promise to make money by only working 15 minutes or an hour daily, your results won’t be as expected.

Some sites claim to provide free referrals to boost your income, but I never found a single person around me earning a 3-figure by these methods. 

On the other hand, others have conditions like daily surfing on their sites, a specific number of direct active referrals, or a high minimum cashout limit.

Even some companies get work done by the people or responses for surveys but never pay by setting compatibility issues. Unfortunately, in countries like India, it happens often. 

The same case happens with paid emails & web surfing services. These websites get huge amounts of money from advertisers but do not pay the members viewing their advertisements.

Note: More than 90% of online money websites fall in this category and give you a terrible experience. Some legit sites are available but require more time and network to earn big money. As the initial payout is significantly less, and you are a newbie to this field, I recommend not going for these sites.

4. Payment Gateway/ Credit Or Debit Card Scams

It is also one of the most common types of online fraud. You might be aware of PayPal and credit card scams since these scams are directly related to your bank account and money. 

If you are not careful online, you will probably become a victim of such scams.

Never share your personal and financial information with anyone, especially strangers. 

Keep all your banking accounts and passwords safe in your mind. Don’t even write if you forget. You can easily recover it by contacting the bank support services.

Make minimum use of credit and debit cards, and use online payment gateways instead to avail yourself of the buyer’s protection policy. 

You can go for the seller protection policy if you are a merchant or seller.

Note: You might be able to save a lot of money with a credit card while shopping or buying goods and services. But the misuse of credit cards will be a headache for you. So always ensure you will never share your secure pin with anyone.

How to Avoid Being Scammed Online

Online scams may be sophisticated and tricky, but you can avoid them. Below are steps to avoid getting scammed by email, text message, or phone call.

• Be aware of signs of fraud, like misspelled words and poor grammar. Legitimate organizations are concerned with these details.
• Avoid clicking links in emails and texts. Always verify the sender’s details and hyperlink.
• Don’t log into your account via an email or text message link.
• Never sign up on an unknown site using your primary email or phone number.
• If you receive a phone number via email, do not call it. Instead, do some research.
• Ensure that your online accounts are secure using two-factor authentication (2FA) and secure connections.
• Pay by credit, debit card, or PayPal. They have protections built-in to get your money back.

Final Words

There is nothing easy in the world except the word easy. Everyone would have empires if making millions was so easy, and businesses and factories would have closed down.

Earning money online is neither difficult nor easy. You can learn legit ways to make money online and implement them step-by-step. Finally, you can achieve the expected income from online work. Be alert and protect yourself from scams until then.

Please read my article: best ways to make money online and subscribe to our newsletter if you wish to earn online through legitimate methods.

Feel free to contact us if you have questions, feedback, or issues regarding the article.