Scam: what it is, how to recognise it in time and protect yourself from it

What is a scam?

A scam (fraud, deception) is any action aimed at deceiving people in order to illegally obtain their money, personal data, or property. In the online environment, scammers use various methods: from creating non-existent online stores to complex pyramid schemes.

Unlike hacker attacks, which involve technical hacking of systems, scams are based on psychological influence on the victim. Fraudsters play on human emotions: trust, greed, fear or sympathy, forcing people to voluntarily hand over their money or data.

The most common types of scams

«It will never happen to me» — that's what most people think until they fall for a cleverly disguised scam. Scammers use dozens of different tactics, but among them are some classic ones that have remained the most effective for years. Let's take a look at the scams you are most likely to encounter on the internet.

Vishing

This term (from «voice + phishing») refers to telephone fraud, which is a type of classic phishing. Attackers call, pretending to be employees of a bank, security service, police, tax office, or technical support for popular services. Under the pretext of «suspicious activity on your account», «card blocking», «system updates», or «a problem detected with your device or account», they try to obtain confidential data: bank card numbers, CVV codes, one-time passwords, or personal information. Telephone scammers often create an atmosphere of panic, putting pressure on their victims and demanding immediate action so that they act without thinking.

Smishing

Another type of phishing, but in the form of fraud via text messages (from «SMS + phishing»). The victim receives an SMS supposedly from a bank, delivery service, government agency or online service. The message contains a link to a fake website where they are asked to enter their login, password, card details or confirm the transaction. Typical excuses include: «card blocked», «parcel delay», «unpaid fine», «suspicious transaction».

Fake lotteries

One of the oldest types of online fraud: the victim is informed that they have won a lottery in which they never participated. The message arrives via email, SMS or messenger on behalf of well-known brands (Coca-Cola, IKEA) or international lotteries (EuroMillions). The amount of the «winnings» is impressive — from tens of thousands to millions of dollars. But in order to receive the prize, you have to pay an «administrative fee», «customs expenses» or «tax». After payment, the scammers disappear or demand additional payments. Sometimes they collect personal data and bank details for further use.

The main rule of protection: if you did not buy a lottery ticket, you could not have won. Legal lotteries never ask you to transfer money to receive a prize.

Fake shops

Fraudsters create copies of popular online stores or their own websites offering incredibly low prices for goods. After paying for the order, the buyer either receives goods of terrible quality or receives nothing at all.

For example, it might look like this: you find the latest iPhone model at a price three times lower than the market price, pay for it, but the goods never arrive, and the website disappears after a while.

Romantic scams

Scammers create fake profiles on dating sites or social networks, pretend to be in love, and after establishing a trusting relationship, begin to ask for money under various pretexts: for medical treatment, flights to meet up, solving urgent problems, etc.

Therefore, be vigilant if someone you meet online actively communicates with you, shows romantic interest, and then after a few weeks or months asks to borrow money for an «urgent operation for a loved one».

Investment scams

Fraudsters offer to invest money in supposedly highly profitable projects: «unique» cryptocurrencies, forex trading, start-ups or pyramid schemes. At first, they may even pay out small amounts to gain your trust. But when you try to withdraw your money, it turns out to be impossible, and the scammers disappear with all your investments.

Employment fraud

Scammers post advertisements for high-paying jobs with minimal requirements. After interviewing a potential candidate, they ask them to pay in advance for training materials, paperwork, or work equipment. Once they receive the money, the scammers disappear, and it turns out that the promised job did not actually exist.

Key signs of a scam

To avoid falling victim to fraudsters, it is important to be able to recognise warning signs:

1. An offer that seems too good to be true. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Fraudsters attract victims with incredibly low prices, high earnings or guaranteed risk-free returns on investments.
2. Pressure and haste. Scammers create an artificial time crunch: «The offer is only valid today!», «Your account will be blocked in an hour if you do not confirm your details!». This is done so that you do not have time to think things through and check the information.
3. Request for prepayment. Any requests to pay money in advance — for delivery, registration, a «guarantee deposit» — should raise suspicion. Legitimate companies do not require prepayment for standard services.
4. Unsecured website. Check the website address in your browser. If the URL starts with «http://» instead of «https://», it means that the connection is not secure and it is dangerous to enter personal data on such a website. Also pay attention to the domain name — scammers often create similar addresses with minor changes (for example, pryvatbank.ua instead of privatbank.ua).
5. Errors in the text. Official letters from large companies are usually carefully proofread. Multiple spelling and grammatical errors, sloppy formatting — these are signs that the letter was sent by fraudsters.
6. Requests for confidential information. Banks and legitimate companies never ask you to send your password, PIN code, CVV code from your card, or other confidential information by email, SMS, or instant messenger.
7. Suspicious contacts. The absence of official contact details, only messengers or email addresses on free services (Gmail, Outlook) instead of corporate email — all of this should raise alarm bells.
8. Anonymous payment. If the seller insists on payment via card transfer, cryptocurrency scheme or irreversible payment systems instead of official payment methods with the possibility of a refund, this is a serious cause for concern.

Protection against scams: practical advice

Even when aware of common scams, people continue to fall into the traps set by fraudsters. Why? Because knowledge alone is not enough — concrete action is required.

Let's take a look at how to protect yourself from malicious actors in practice: from security settings to rules of conduct online.

● Verify information

Before making a purchase, transferring money, or sharing personal data, take a few minutes to verify:

1. Search for reviews of the company, seller, or website on the internet.
2. Verify information about the company in official registries (for example, on the Unified State Register website).
3. Pay attention to the date the website was created — very new websites with lucrative offers should raise suspicion.
4. Use website verification services to check for fraud (e.g., ScamAdviser, Google Safe Browsing).

● Use secure payment methods

Always choose payment methods that allow you to dispute the transaction and get your money back in case of fraud:

1. Payment systems with buyer protection (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
2. Bank cards with chargeback (payment dispute) options.
3. Payment upon receipt of goods or services.

Avoid transfers to private cards, especially if this is the only payment method offered by the seller.

● Protect your data

Never disclose confidential information to strangers:

1. Banks and government agencies never ask you to send your password, PIN code or CVV code.
2. Do not click on links in suspicious emails — it is better to open the company's official website yourself.
3. Use strong and unique passwords for different accounts.
4. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for important accounts (banking, email, social networks).

● Be careful on social media

Fraudsters actively use social media to find victims. Therefore:

1. Do not add strangers as friends.
2. Restrict access to your personal information in your privacy settings.
3. Do not click on suspicious links, even if they were sent by someone you know (their account may have been hacked).
4. Be wary of messages about winnings, lotteries or gifts.

● Trust your intuition.

If something seems suspicious or too good to be true, it probably is. Do not be afraid to turn down a seemingly attractive offer, even if you are being pressured or rushed.

What to do if you have been scammed

If you discover that you have been scammed, you need to act quickly:

1. Contact your bank immediately. If you have provided your card details or made a transfer, call your bank straight away. It may be possible to block the transaction or your card before the scammers withdraw the money.
2. Change your passwords. If you have given access to your accounts, immediately change your passwords for all important services: email, banking apps, social networks.
3. Gather evidence. Take screenshots of correspondence, save receipts, transfer receipts and any other evidence of communication with fraudsters.
4. Contact the police. File a report with law enforcement. Even if your case is not investigated separately, your information may help in the investigation of other cases.
5. Warn others. Share your experience on social media, forums, or specialised websites. This will help other people avoid falling into the same trap.
6. Contact the cyber police. Submit a report on the Ukrainian Cyber Police website or call the hotline at 0 800 505 170.

Scams are a serious threat to every internet user. Fraudsters are constantly improving their methods and devising new scams. However, by learning about the main types of scams and signs of fraud, following online safety rules, and maintaining a healthy scepticism about offers that seem too good to be true, you can significantly reduce your risk of falling victim to online scammers.