Introduction
With the increase in accessibility and sophistication of digital tools, there is an urgent need to promote awareness regarding the risks of scamming and other fraudulent actions that target vulnerable people. Therefore, the general public needs to develop a clear concept of a scam, the means of identifying it, and how to avoid being scammed. This brochure details the core methods of spotting scams, particularly the lateral reading technique, and dissects the main scam types.
Defining Scamming
The scam concept is pretty simple, yet it also proves that online scamming techniques are vast and complicated. A scam is traditionally defined as a fraudulent attempt to involve one in a business scheme that will inevitably result in money loss (Robb & Wendel, 2023). In the digital context, a scan typically implies involving one in a dialogue, typically via email or phone, to elicit information for further theft of financial resources. Scams may come in various shapes, so identifying the core characteristics of scamming and detecting it early is essential.
Spotting Scamming
There are multiple ways of spotting scams, especially those in a digital environment. Being redirected to a website that might look innocuous yet, in fact, represents a phishing threat is one of the most common scam types (Ajayi, 2022). The specified phenomenon can be identified by checking the domain name for slight differences or discrepancies (Brodsky et al., 2021).
Scams sent via text messages can be discovered by checking whether the sender is a stranger and ensuring that the text does not contain suspicious links to external sites (Trivedi et al., 2020). Even calls from seemingly trustworthy bank officials need to be verified for their trustworthiness, as a recent alert from the FTC demonstrates (Krown, 2023). In the described case, Krown warns not to give customer-specific information, such as the card number, to the caller and to address the official channel instead. For email scams, the presence of suspicious links, errors in writing, and similar discrepancies will point to a likely scam (Brodsky et al., 2021). Therefore, when aware of the essential techniques used by scammers, identifying an instance of a scam becomes relatively easy.
Lateral Reading
Lateral reading is one of the core strategies for identifying and avoiding scams. Lateral reading is the text analysis process that involves comparing it to a similar text. For identifying a scam situation, lateral reading can be used by considering an example of a trustworthy text piece and comparing it to the one from a suspicious sender (Brodsky et al., 2021). The proposed technique helps verify the evidence in the suspicious text and identifies language and the relevant elements that may point to the risk of a scam (Brodsky et al., 2021).
Similarly, opening a site and comparing it to the webpage to which one has been taken by clicking a specific link will help determine whether the latter webpage is legitimate (Ajayi, 2022). With the help of the lateral reading strategy, which can be summarized as comparing the suspicious item with the legitimate one, avoiding scams will become significantly easier.
Conclusion
By using lateral reading and the associated approaches for identifying scams, one will develop the preparedness and skills needed to shield oneself from scams and the related risks. The method above helps one locate essential details and evidence pieces that characterize scams. As a result, one can implement strategies for reducing exposure to potential harm and avoiding scams. By being careful and attentive to the type of information offered, one can eliminate the risks of being scammed and enhance one’s cybersecurity levels.
References
Ajayi, T. M. (2022). Discursive-manipulative strategies in scam emails and SMS: The Nigerian perspective. Lodz Papers in Pragmatics, 18(1), 175-195. Web.
Brodsky, J. E., Brooks, P. J., Scimeca, D., Todorova, R., Galati, P., Batson, M., Grosso, R., Matthews, M., Miller, V., & Caulfield, M. (2021). Improving college students’ fact-checking strategies through lateral reading instruction in a general education civics course. Cognitive Research: Principles and implications, 6, 1-18. Web.
Krown, K. (2023). Is it really the IRS? FTC. Web.
Robb, C. A., & Wendel, S. (2023). Who can you trust? Assessing vulnerability to digital imposter scams. Journal of Consumer Policy, 46(1), 27-51. Web.
Trivedi, N. K., Simaiya, S., Lilhore, U. K., & Sharma, S. K. (2020). An efficient credit card fraud detection model based on machine learning methods. International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology, 29(5), 3414-3424. Web.