How to Check Enticing Offers and Avoid Falling Victim to Fraud
Cybersecurity expert Sami A Nour has confirmed that "paid social media ads and blue IDs are no longer enough", pointing out that they are now available for symbolic amounts.
He told Emarat Al Youm that "creating websites no longer requires high-tech skills, as AI tools have made it easier for scammers to work".
He added: "Internet users are constantly lured behind seductive offers, whether real or fake", explaining that "the secret to the success of fraudulent advertising campaigns is that they launch in real-time for the purpose of simulating and stealing them, where users think it's a campaign from a real campaign and then respond to it".
He explained that campaigns appear on social media platforms as a result of conversations with friends about restaurants, travel and shows in general. And algorithms suggest ads that fit what they're talking about, whether the paid ad is real or fake.
He pointed out that this phenomenon can be addressed by contacting the restaurant or service to inquire about the offer, asking how to access the offers correctly, and whether those links can be obtained by sending them to the phone with payment delay at receipt.
He made it clear that entities that do not allow the option to pay upon receipt are likely to be fraudulent, given that all restaurants within the state offer the option to pay upon receipt.
We also advise you to look for the phone numbers attached to the ads through Google, for example, because they may be fake numbers.
He continued: "It is preferable to deal with official authorities when making any purchase offers, such as accessing the official websites of popular restaurants and familiar approved applications".
He explained that there is another technical way to detect phony presentations, which is by checking the dubious link and comparing it with the actual link of the person concerned, moving away from long, vague links and paying attention to simple differences like "l", "I", ""0 and "O", and others.
He called on stakeholders to adopt an "ae" link scope that is as difficult to capture as other global domains, which only take minutes.
He pointed out the need to compare the bank account attached to the advertisement with the company's social media accounts before making any purchase, as well as to verify whether an offer is valid or not, and also to verify the approved payment methods.
He continued: "It's better to set up a standalone online purchase card to increase security, so that it has a limited amount that doesn't matter if you lose it at worst".
He stressed the need to inform the bank as soon as it is exposed to any fraud in order to try to recover the amount and reduce further theft, close the card and replace it, pointing out that there are specialized teams of banks and banks that specialize in responding to customer theft reports immediately.
Source: Emarat Al Youm