Real Talk

Outsmarting Scammers! How Families Can Tell If They’re About To Get Scammed

by Kevyn Gohu
November 18, 2024

Unfortunately, scammers are getting smarter as they exploit various avenues! Here’s how to protect ourselves from online scams.

While scammers and their online scams have always been there, the number of avenues they can exploit and their numbers have grown. Technology has given them the shield of anonymity — unless we have state-of-the-art Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment. So, we’re forced on the defensive: we can’t just block every number in existence. Some companies still use text messages for marketing purposes!

So how do we protect ourselves from online scammers? Here’s how!

Online scams can be found on all devices

1. If you didn’t use the app for the last 10-15 minutes, it’s most likely a scam.

Most apps use something we call a two-factor authentication wherein we get a text message to confirm something. While we can attribute some messages to poor cellular signals, the app usually rejects the request if the confirmation isn’t done in 10-15 minutes. So, if we’re getting a message (even if it looks like an official message from our e-wallet or bank of choice) after 10-15 minutes of not using then it’s most likely a scam. Just delete.

2. NEVER click links that you didn’t ask for!

Scammers usually try (and have been successful with some) by sending links that say we won something. Before we get carried away with joy, ask ourselves first if we ever used the app before or even heard about it. Apps only send links if we request them to. Otherwise, they just operate in the background and send typical marketing notifications like getting higher investments by doing something, etc. through the app itself.

Another thing we noticed is that a lot of times, these links are either a) a bunch of letters strung together in complete gibberish or b) playing “too hard” into the role by actually using links that the company may generate. But so long as we didn’t ask for a link via the app, don’t click!

3. Avoid engaging with cellphone numbers that are not within the Philippines!

To prevent themselves from getting tracked, some will use what they call a burner number. Once the police tracks them, they can just toss the phone and it’ll be considered a dead end, hence the term. While this might be difficult for those who work as virtual assistants, remember that the message usually states a clear-cut name plus most job requests are email-based. Another thing to point out is that these numbers come from chatroom apps and can sometimes even infiltrate our social media messages inbox.

Now, if we did engage them out of curiosity, just refer to rule number 2: never click a link that you didn’t ask for!

4. Tip: Always use a two-layer defense

A two-layer defense is a technique online shoppers and sellers use to protect their original bank accounts that contain their savings and themselves from online scams. So whenever they interact with people or dive into the messy world of online shopping, they often give out what they call a “dummy account” or a “liquid account.” This account should always remain low in amount, rarely exceeding PHP 1000.00 since they’ll be transferring that money out into their original bank account.

Besides, if ever someone were to hack the dummy account, they wouldn’t get much.

5. Never give out your PIN or OTP especially if you didn’t request to change.

The oldest trick in the book; it may look like a message requesting a One-Time Password (OTP) but if we didn’t request a change of PIN within the last 5-10 minutes, delete it. That’s also their way of fishing for a code and also a sign for us to change our passwords.

A technique programmers recommend to fend them off is by “salting” the password. This means creating a 10-20-character password of absolute gibberish composed of letters, special characters (e.g. @, #, &, etc.), and numbers.

Why online scams are more frequent during the holidays

While it’s easy to antagonize these scammers, some have resorted to this lifestyle because of the lack of money. Maybe there wasn’t enough work (especially as skilled laborers) to earn money for the family, there’s debt (or utang) to be paid and they’re getting badgered — there’s a long list of reasons. These may be a form of cold comfort (or consuelo de bobo) as nobody likes getting scammed by online scams or being the scammer.

So while there’s no way to eliminate all the scammers, the only thing we can do is protect ourselves. That way, money doesn’t go to the wrong place. And if we do, it’s not too much of a loss.