We all have witnessed a scam attempt but just might not have recognized it. There was a time where we did not have to be on guard as much until the tactics started getting extremely deceiving. Along with technology, scam artist has evolved to keep up with the ever-changing times.
Scam artist tactics should always be revealed so the person who may not know of them will have a chance to defend themselves from their ploys. That is what I intend to do with this post.
Scam Artist Terminologies
Below, I am going to cover a list of con artist terms so that their terminology is known by as many people as I can inform.
As you read them you may be able to place them in a situation that has happened to you but didn’t really know what category the scam fell under. But I’m going to change that!
Scam #1 – Brute-Force Attack: This a hacking method that tries every possible combination of characters until the correct one is found to find passwords or encryption keys.
Scam #2 – Keylogger: A cleverly covered up program that logs keystrokes and sends them to hackers so they can figure out all pour log-in information.
Scam #3 – Pharming: Hackers will use malicious programs that take you to their websites which look extremely legitimate and like the site you actually typed in to visit.
Scam #4 – Drive-By Download: This is a downloading of a virus or malware onto your computer or phone when you visit a compromised website. This can happen even if you don’t click on anything.
Scam #5 –
Catfish: A scammer creates a fake online profile to deceive his victims.
Scam #6 – Hash Busters: A way for spam emails to bypass your spam filters by using random words or sentences.
Scam #7 – Ghosting: Used to open up credit accounts, get loans or get utility & medical services by stealing the identity of a deceased person.
Scam #8 – Malvertising: Malicious online advertising that has malware intended to damage or disable computers.
Scam #9 – Phishing: Designed to trick into giving sensitive personal data or credit card accounts by the scammer posing as a trusted business or other entity. These usually come as an email.
Scam #10 – Scareware: A program that will put false screen warnings of infections that don’t exist on your computer in hopes you can be tricked into buying anti-virus protection or install some malware on your computer.
Scam #11 – Ransomware: This tactic uses a program to restrict or disable your computer, hijacks & encrypts files so you can be tricked into a fee to restore your computer back to like it was.
Scam #12 –
Spear-phishing: Trying to get information by using a personalized email appearing to be from someone you know.
Scam #13 – Spyware: This the way the scammer tries to using malware installed on your computer or cell phone to track & collect information from you without you knowing.
Scam #14 – Skimming: Stealing information from the magnetic strip on cards using skimmer devices that are secretly installed on ATM’s, gas pumps & checkout counters.
Scam #15 – Smishing: This tries to, through text messaging, tells you to call a toll-free number trying to get information. Named for SMS technology. (short message service)
Scam #16 – Whaling: This is designed for corporate execs & payroll departments (big fish) by a scammer acting like a CEO, company attorney or a vendor to get payments or sensitive information.
Scam # 17 – Spoofing: This is when in any situation the scammer is acting as if he is a specific person, business or agency using you caller ID to display a false name or number to mislead you.
Scam #18 – Vishing: The use of a recorded phone message to try to trick you into giving sensitive information for identity theft. Known as (voice phishing)
I know recently I have felt like I was an attempted target for a Vishing scam. I have been receiving a recorded call that introduces itself and then asking me can I hear them okay?
My first thought is the call is trying to get me on recording to falsely say I approved something. This can be done by me saying yes to the question. Lord knows what will happen then.
I know that I am not going to give it a chance to catch me saying yes and using it to scam me on anything. So you see, it is about being one step ahead of the game.
I hope this post gave someone the information to help safeguard themselves and their family against these malicious scam approaches that are definitely around these days.
Please feel free to leave any comments or share something that you might have experienced for the readers. We get information in numbers this way.
Also, if you would like to know about scams that I run across as soon as I post them, sign up to receive them at the bottom of the screen.
Thank you for visiting.
Thank you Ronnie for sharing. I just didn’t realise that there were so many ways that we could be scammed. I have heard of Scareware before and thought to myself how can people be so naive about that. But then I can see the less educated can be fooled by it. Who knows maybe I have been had with any of the others. It’s certainly alarming.
That recorded message tactic is certainly deceiving. I’ll have to be on my guard with that one.
I know. It is ridiculous the lengths people go through to take advantage of the next person. I was like you when I ran into this information. I had no idea it was so many. So I felt compelled to share them because I am sure there are many others who wasn’t aware of them as well. So inform others you know as well. Thank you for visiting.
WOW! Those are a lot of different ways to get scammed. I can definitely say that I have been exposed to some of them myself. As far as being scammed on the phone, those I have pretty much halted in their tracks. First off if I hear a delay of a second or two after I say hello, I immediately hang up and mark that number as suspicious.
Spoofing is another I have halted too. The majority of the time when it is from a company I do business with, I know that when they want to contact me they will always use my full name. Then if they need info from me they will tell me to go to their website and answer the question posted there.
Anytime I see a link in an email, even if the email looks legit, I hover my mouse pointer over the link to see if it is going to the actual website they are claiming they represent. These are all things I have learned over time but there are so many other ways I am sure I need to be on guard for. Thank you for posting this.
Great input Robert. That is what I mean about being strong in numbers and geared up with information. The next reader will get some good information here. Not only have this post generated info on what kind but how to cut them off at the beginning. Exactly like I hoped it would. Thank you very much for your sharing also. You are welcome anytime. Thanks.
Hi Ronnie,
Thanks for sharing,
There are so many scams out there. I don’t know much of them but it’s always good to learn about these so you can stay away from them. You’re right, it’s about being one step ahead of the game!
You are welcome. I like to give people the information to make them aware of the different types of scams so if they encounter one of them the red flag will pop up automatically. We are stronger in numbers geared up with information. Thank you for visiting.
Wow, there are are a lot of scams! I knew there was a lot but I never knew there was that many. How these people come up with these many different types of scams is beyond me. Who knows what those clowns will be up to next.
You never know Karin. They adapt with whatever new comes out. This is why I put it all out there so people will know what to look for. I said the same thing when I ran into this information. I felt compelled to hurry up and write a post on it. I will continue to share the ionformation on scams that I run across to help others evade their attempts. Thank you for visiting.