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Online Scams

 

Scams are everywhere. Internet users are surely aware of this. No one likes to fall victim to scams. But the sad truth is that more and more individuals who just want to earn extra money online are being victimized by scammers.

How to Deal With Online Scams
To be perfectly honest, refunding does not work for those who were victims of scams.
​The reason for this is because these businesses are not really legitimate. With legal businesses, this should not be a problem. ​Usually, a customer can just send a report to the customer service department of a legal business and expect to have problems solved, But in the case of the Internet things are different.

The best thing to do is to avoid these scammers in the first place. There are actually lots of ways to do this. Online users should be knowledge-able about what they are doing. Usually, scammers like to deceive individuals who want to earn money online but have no experience doing so. Remember not to fall for appearance as well.

 

Most of the time, the websites being used by these scammers are just like the ones being used by real businesses. They look professionally in order to lure individuals into thinking that the site and the business that it is associated with is legitimate.  However, they may just be part of the plan to scam and deceive.

Money will always be hard to make in the beginning, and when you are told that you can make a lot of money quite easily by someone posing as a successful business person on the Internet, be sure to ask for verifiable proof before you place your money into something that may be fraudulent. 

 

There are times when even large businesses are scams too. So, do not be fooled by the size or reputation of a business on the Internet. Victims who have been scammed and seeks a refund may be able to get one if they had gone ahead and used a credit card.

Usually the refund request can be looked into by the provider of the Merchant Account that the business used. Hopefully the offending business still has funds in the account from which the Merchant Account provider can draw. There is actually a code of conduct to follow  when a purchase is made on the Internet.

 

Keep all the records with the relevant dates, times, names, and telephone numbers connected to the company that business was conducted with. It is also advisable if possible that a record of the conversation with a staff member be kept.

Aside from this, it may also be very useful if the victims carries out a search of the offending company on the Internet
to see if there have been other victims of the same scam. If the search is successful then a research on the background of the owners and officers of the offending company may be conducted also.
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Doing this is really effective in knowing if they have been involved in the same practice elsewhere on the Internet.


If what is mentioned above has been completed to satisfaction, writing an honest account of the whole incident should be done next. Remember, there should be facts to support the claims against a particular company. So, make sure that all of the information gathered and shared is accurate.

Once the information is found to be accurate and is more than just an allegation then a report can be posted onto the Internet to warn other users of the possibility of being taken by the offending entities.

BE SAFE
• Avoid giving personal information such as your address and phone number to someone you do not know.
• Avoid opening emails from unknown sources unless you do online marketing.
​. Do not open attachments sent to you from unknown sources.
• Avoid online friendships with unknown persons of dubious character.
• Be careful who you meet in person who you've met online.
• Tell someone else about any bad Internet experiences you are having online especially if you are a child.

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