Updated on August 16, 2019 by SCARS™ Editorial Team

SCARS™ Insight: You Can Still Be Scammed! Over And Over!

You Say You Can’t Be Scammed Again? Wanna Bet?

For decades we have been warning about scams of one nature or another, but what most scams have in common is Social Engineering!

For Most Of You Who Have Been Romance Scammed You Sware It Will Never Happen Again, Right?

WANT TO BET?

It takes more than wishful thinking to stop yourself from being scammed. After all, it was wishful thinking that got you scammed in the first place.

At the heart of almost all scams is Social Engineering – using the way you are wired to defeat you – over and over again.

It Starts With Learning – Have You Been Learning Or Reacting?

We appreciate that many people have no clue how things work on the web. Just like a teen has no clue how to drive a car and not kill themselves – UNTIL they learn.

The tragedy is that most people do not learn to use the web effectively.

This is a combination of reaction, inattention, a lack of interest, and an unawareness of how dangerous it can be.

Consider how this applies to something as simple as unsubscribing to an email that you signed up for. Most people have no idea that this is all automated, and that even if we wanted to, you control your own subscriptions (unless it is unlawful spam). When you get an email there is an Unsubscribe link required by law. All it usually takes is to click it! Yet most people send nasty emails in reply.

We mention this because this is also how you were scammed.

You didn’t see what was right in front of you.

Instead, you reacted.

This Is Also Why MOST Victims Are Scammed Again!

For example, there is currently a Facebook social engineering scam running rampant that says people are getting friend requests from you. Except if you really look, it is just a viral scam being shared forever by people not bothering to check what it actually means.

New Facebook scam is a hoax – which means it is a scam!

This Is A Perfect Example Of How You Are Still Being Manipulated

A bogus warning is going around claiming a duplicate friend request was received. The message also asks users to send this message to all of their friends.

You should never automatically send or SHARE these kind of viral messages – ever!

If one of your friends had their profile CLONED and you see it, then the first thing is to report it to Facebook (or wherever) as someone impersonating your friend. Then notify your friends and contacts. But if it is just some message or post that you saw, then why would you forward it along?

Cloning

Check out this post to learn what you need to know about profile cloning scams and how to protect from them – click here »

This Facebook hoax has gone viral and is making some users nervous about possible cloning. Cloning is where your profile – your identity – is copied to impersonate you. If you’ve been on Facebook in the last few months you might have seen a message like this floating around.

About Fake Clone Messages or Posts

It’s a message from a friend that your account may have been cloned. But of course, it’s not true.

The message is just a hoax that has gone viral, nothing more than junk chain mail.

Except it is not.

IT IS A CAREFULLY CREATED SOCIAL ENGINEERING SCAM!

It is not asking for money, but it is taking your time and causing you to react. It doesn’t seem dangerous, but the next one could very well be very dangerous.

It is also doing something more – it is identifying YOU as someone that can be scammed. When posts are shared from dangerous sources they people who posted it can many times see who shared it. Now they know about you!

“I know people have actually been a victim of it, but this latest one just seems especially pointless, just getting people to copy and paste a message and spam it out to all their contacts,” said one user. Even Homeland Security says if you see it just ignore it. Sending it to friends only makes it worse.

The Real Point We Are Making

But here is the real point, if you fell for this, you fell for yet another scam.

Scammers gear their weapons to take advantage of your weakness. And this kind of thing will trip you up time after time until you stop reacting and start developing habits that keep you safe.

Thinking will not save you from future scams. Only changing your behavior will save you!

More Nonsense

Here Is Another Urban Legend Spreading That Accepting A Friend Request Gives A Hacker Access To Your Account!

According To SNOPES.com – it is totally bogus, but you don’t know because you never learned to use your online tools properly, and instead, you are still reacting.

The scam / hoax is:

Social Media Hacker Warning: Accepting a Facebook friend request from a stranger will provide hackers with access to your computer and online accounts.

Wrong, it does not present any such risk!

The examples are multiple variants of a long-running hoax, one which warns the readers not to allow contact from a particular person or group because dire consequences will result. The basic form of these hoax warnings is typically drawn from the following template:

Do not {read / open / respond to / join} an {e-mail / text message / friend request / } sent by {real name / e-mail address / screen name}!
If you do, {you / your computer / your Facebook account / everyone on your contact list / your children} will be in danger of falling victim to a {serial killer / computer virus / hacker / predator}.

Really?

These are but two of the countless socially engineering scams (and that IS the right word) that are constantly running around out there.

Viral Messages May Be Scammer Lures

Have You Ever Considered That Some Of Them May Actually Be Fishing Lures?

Meaning they wait for people to fall for them, and then they find you by searching for the lure to see who it caught! Once they identify a target then they spring other scams on you until one of the hooks takes hold!

What Are We Trying To Say?

We are telling you that all of your wishful thinking and protestations that you are never going to be scammed again is worth nothing UNLESS you back it up with actions.

What Actions?

• Constant learning about how the web / Facebook / and Apps work
• Restraint instead of Reaction – take time to examine what you see
• Thought – think it through – just assume everything is questionable until you make sure
• Trust no one – even though this can actually be harmful to your recovery, it is safe and right now safety matters most
• Report what you find in anti-scam groups so others can help with the dissection and analysis

In Conclusion

It is as the United States Department of Homeland Security suggests: STOP | THINK | CONNECT – meaning that when you see something your first instinct is to react, but instead stop, think about it, then if you are sure it is safe to connect!

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SCARS™ Team
A SCARS Division
Miami Florida U.S.A.

TAGS: SCARS, Important Article, Information About Scams, Anti-Scam Messages, Viral Messages, Cloned Profile Warnings, Profile Copied Warnings, Profiles Cloned, Do Not Forward or Share Foolishly, Stay Safe Online, Stop Think Connect, Insight,  You Can Still Be Scammed, Over And Over

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