¶ Avoiding Online Scams
Hello and welcome to the profitable Nomad Couple podcast . This is a show where we share all of our secrets about building a sustainable location independent lifestyle .
We're Austin and Monica . We're a digital Nomad couple here to help you develop an entrepreneurial mindset , ignite your passions and develop a purpose-driven online business .
Get ready for weekly insights and inspiring stories to empower you to live life on your own terms .
So are you ready to unlock the Nomad mindset and embrace a life of limitless possibilities ? Let's dive in . Hi everybody , today , on this episode , we are helping you avoid scams .
So this is something that actually a few people have come to us asking about , and it makes me a little bit sad just how many people follow the scams , and I'm not like I don't mean to sound like accusatory of anybody , but online scams are so , so prevalent . We just want to help shine some light on how to avoid them .
Monica and I have been victims of scams . We've had our Instagram account hacked before . It is no fun . Luckily , we haven't lost any money from it , but it easily could have happened .
It's so frustrating to me just to know how many people are out there scamming people , and a lot of these scams are really good . They're really smart and so , if you like , I know these people have the brains if they applied it to literally anything else .
I know that's a frustrating part of it .
If you're listening to this and you are a scammer , you should knock it off now , because I am not happy with you .
Yeah , watch it , monica is going to come for you . But seriously , like , these people have amazing skills that could be applied like in a legitimate job they could do really well and they use it for scamming which is frustrating , and when we say there are a lot like to the tune of billions of dollars .
in 2020 alone , the FBI reported that Americans lost about $4.2 billion from online scams . And those are just Americans , you guys .
Yeah , that's billion with the B . About one in every 25 people are victims of identity theft because of online scams , and about 1.3 million people fall victim to online scams every day .
Every single day .
So this episode's goal is to bring the number down a little bit . Our overarching phrase that we want you to keep in mind , first of all , we're going to be talking about red flags to watch out for , follow it up with , like safe practices , things that you can do to avoid scams .
The phrase that I feel like goes along with everything we're going to talk about is to exercise healthy skepticism . Don't take everything at face value , take things with the grain of salt and just exercise healthy skepticism .
Yeah , as the John Lamads , there is so much that we do online . There are so many people we meet online . There are so many like . A lot of times we would do things for our clients as virtual assistants and we would literally never meet them . It would all be done online .
And so the more you're online , the more that these things are going to come up , and so as you learn what red flags to watch out for and practice the safe practices we have for you , you're going to become immune to all of the nasty gross scammers out there .
So our top six red flags to watch out for . Number one unrealistic promises of high salaries or of quick success . So you might have heard the old adage If it's too good to be true , it probably is , and I typically think that's almost always true .
If you think something is just too good to be true , if they're promising things that are just way out there , be skeptical of that .
Yeah , anytime you hear people , I think a really common one I hear all the time is like I help my clients scale to $20,000 a month within two weeks , or hit six figures in your first year of business , or whatever it is . There are so many different versions of this . Watch your hair grow a foot in a month by doing the serum .
There are so many different versions of this . So , yeah , if it's too good to be true , it probably is . My dad used to say that all the time , so shout out to you , dad .
Your dad is a smart guy . He is a smart guy . He still is a smart guy .
He is a very smart guy .
Number two vague job descriptions If they don't really explain or describe what the job is that they want you to be doing in this new role you're applying for . Be aware of that .
Yeah , I was just going to say , if you dig a little deeper , ask any questions and they still are vague , double read them .
Number three unusual requests for money or for personal information . A lot of times these come out of context . They just don't really fit into the conversation . If you've already been having a conversation with them , yeah , if it feels unusual , that's a big sign .
I've heard of the scam where it was like they were needing to raise money for computers for a school Things like that . Be cautious .
Number four pressure to act quickly or make immediate decisions . I feel like this is a big one . Scammers don't want you to think too much about what you're doing . If you can just do it on on the spot , do it on the fly , it's better for them .
So if they're overly pushy or if they're kind of mean about things , trying to pressure you to do things really fast , that's that's often a big sign .
Yeah , often if you push back a question and all they instantly switch into bullying you or Gaslighting you or just being really really mean . So if that's the case , walk away . Other things to watch out for number five are red flag . Number five is job postings with poor grammar or suspicious Website addresses y'all .
I am a terrible speller , so if you get a message from me and there are things that I'm expelled , it probably was just me but if it's consistent that you see really bad grammar misspellings , really big Issues , like doesn't really sound like a native English speaker or Spanish speaker or whatever , whatever language you're getting these in , or if the website is like
has a bunch of random letters or numbers . Or I have seen some where it's like close ish to a regular website or close ish to a regular Instagram handle , like to an actual one , but it's like there's a random period in it or there's a dash .
So you do they try and keep it small and unnoticeable ?
Yep , that's a big red flag .
Also , you'll see on websites , right before the website is says HTTPS colon slash slash . The s is is part of a security measure . It's an SSL certificate that websites have nowadays . They're super , super cheap , they're super , super easy to get , so almost all websites have them . But if there's no s , if it's just HTTP colon slash slash , then that's it .
That's a huge indicator that that's not a safe website to be on .
Yeah , I don't , yeah , don't say on the website and definitely don't put any information , card card information , everything on the website the last one , number six , is kind of similar but related to links .
If they send you a Link , kind of out of the blue , I mean , often they they want to get through these scams as quickly as possible , scam as many people as they can , so they'll send it Quickly .
In the conversation , if it's out of context , monica , I typically make a habit out of not clicking on links that are sent to us by people we don't know , even if they are sent to us by people we know . We keep a really close eye on that .
That's how we got scammed , as we got sent a link from an account , that of someone we were friends with , but it was . I think If we had paid a little bit more attention and looked a little bit closer we would have noticed it was a questionable link .
I feel like links are the ever seen Monsters University , where it's like do whatever you do , you don't touch it , and the big furry monsters like I want to touch it .
¶ Online Scam Prevention Strategies
That's what I feel like links are for me , like anyone sends me a link and I'm like I want to get I want . Like literally , my mouth instantly goes there and I have to like will it away ? And then I have to walk away and then come back and reread it and make sure that it makes sense .
So like don't , don't click the links , take , take your time , think about it . Just don't let any of this be rushed as much as you're going to feel rushed . You have the power to walk away . You have all the power in the situation , even if they're trying to make you feel like you don't .
You have all the power and sometimes to regain that power , you need to shut your computer , turn off your phone and walk away for a bit .
So those are the main six flags that we , that we either have experience or have thought up . That would be big Indicators to things to watch out for that a scam is likely coming .
So , following this , we want to share some general like safe practices , things that you can implement , things that you can do To keep yourself safe online and to avoid these types of scams .
Okay , number one is my favorite , and that is to trust your gut . Your own intuition is the biggest safety mechanism that you have . If something feels off , even just slightly , lean into it . So often we are taught to ignore our intuition or to question it or to wonder if maybe we're just feeling a little bit gassy .
If anything feels off , I want you to trust it , to lean into it , to explore it more and figure out why it feels off .
Yeah , that's a really , really big one . Learn to trust yourself , kind of . In general , that's , I guess , a life tip , but especially in this situation , just Think about how you feel , about how the conversation is going or what was sent to you , and if it just doesn't feel right like , don't sit in question too much .
If it just feels wrong , move away from it . Our second safe practice is the followers and pictures do not equal credibility . So when Monica and I had our Instagram account hacked before , it was by an account that we were from , someone that we knew , someone we were friends with , but their account had been hacked and then continued to hack other people .
So somewhere out there in the universe , on Instagram specifically , is an account that has our names , our faces , and it's following that someone else's . It's someone that's now scamming other people .
So on top of that , followers can be bought , followers can be faked , pictures can be faked , so those things don't immediately mean that that account is a credible account . So scammers are often going to not often , but very likely that they could look like somebody that you know .
So if someone starts messaging you but it just doesn't sound right , they're asking you for weird things you could start asking them some personal questions , for example , questions that only that person would know because of the relationship you have with them , and then if they're not able to answer or they answer wrong , like if you have another way to contact that
person , do it through that other avenue .
Or if it's someone who you literally haven't talked to in years and they randomly start messaging you and be skeptical of that . Also be skeptical of if you get friend requests from someone that you feel like you already were friends with or should be friends with .
Yeah , because they can take the pictures from the actual account . Create a new account with the same picture . This happened to my dad recently . Someone's out there pretending to be Mike Mangelsen has this picture , but he doesn't have any of the other information none of the same friends I already know .
I'm friends with my dad on Facebook , so the fact that he was sending me a friend request was like it was obviously I'm pretty sure my grandma has sent me like 35 friend requests and I'm pretty sure they're not hurry , you know .
so definitely just watch out for that . And then , number three , understand the communication method slash channels that will be officially used when I've seen this a lot when you like enter , like giveaways , or when you're trying to , I've seen a lot of people who are like oh , I'm from Instagram and you need to verify your account right now .
Instagram is never going to reach out to you guys . They have the worst support system ever . So just know who is going to be reaching out to you and why they're going to be reaching out to you . Make sure that you're very careful about checking the handles .
Again , they're really good at just adding in an S or putting in a period or things that are really subtle , but make sure that you know it's the official account , see if you want something or different things like that .
So yeah , and this goes for job applications as well . If you're applying for a company , you should understand , and if you don't understand , go find out the official way that they're going to be reaching out to you .
If it's on LinkedIn , if it's through a specific email , that way you know if communication comes from that company or that job posting through a different avenue , you don't have to question it . You know it's not them because you know how it's supposed to be coming to you .
Yeah , Along those same lines . If you are applying for a job online , make sure you are researching the company and verifying its legitimacy .
So look at the reputation , the reviews , their website , not the link that they send you , but look it up on Google and then contact current employees for information about the company if you can , and then always if you use ever any question or people send you links and you're kind of curious about it , always Google it and then put the word scam after it and
it'll pull up any time that people have been questioning if it's a scam or any articles . There's like different scam watches and stuff out there sometimes .
Yeah , monika , and I have used this one a lot . Are you going to share the most recent one ? Oh , me too . I thought that's why you were laughing . I recently had an ad and this is kind of why I was unsure about it , because it was an official ad . It was on Instagram , I believe . They were advertising 80% off Legosets .
You guys , I was so freaking excited .
They were pretty like in your defense . They were pretty legit Legosets Like it was like it's basically like building a model plane kind of thing , but with Legos .
It was like the official box , like with Lego logo on it , and there were videos of people like dumping them out and building them and I freaking love Legos , you guys and so I was stoked that they were 80% off .
He's really good at building things and like building like little model things , so he always jokes that he wants Legos for Christmas or whatever , but they're always super expensive .
I did exactly what we just told you guys not to . I clicked on the link from the ad the website it was not the Lego website , which is like . That was my first big red flag that it sent me to a third party platform for the sale . And that's when I knew it was a scam . But my heart wouldn't let me believe it and so I kept questioning it .
I'm like , well , it's like an official , like it's a . There's an ad like Instagram wouldn't let scams be ads , right . And so I asked Monica about it . She's like it's probably a scam . I'm like , but it can't be , can't be true . And so I Googled it and I Googled the situation and I put scam at the end .
And there are all these examples and testimonies of people who have been scammed the same way . So that's when I had to admit the truth , admit defeat . It was not an actual 80% off deal , it was a scam . So that's like our go to .
If we're not sure about something , you just Google it and you'll find a lot of people who have had the unfortunate experience of being scammed by them or have done more research into knowing whether or not it is a scam . So that's my embarrassing story for the . Actually , I'm not embarrassed about that . I'm not embarrassed to admit I like Legos .
All right , moving on , I had to advocate for myself right there .
All right . So my safe practice is going to be to never pay upfront fees for job applications and or training for that job application . So legitimate jobs do not charge fees for applying , interviewing and do not require you to do paid training before being interviewed .
Yeah , sometimes you'll have legitimate companies . Companies will do paid trainings , but that's normally after you get the job or after you've gone through , like more official channels and you've . This is especially after you've talked to someone . Where possible , get on an actual phone call or a zoom call or some sort of chat with like a real person .
Scammers aren't going to do that . They don't want to show their face . They don't want to get on the call with you . So if you're able to do that , if it's more legit , that's a good sign . But yeah , you will never have to pay a fee for applying for a job .
I will say , to that point of getting on a video call with people right now . Scammers are never going to do that . With different AI technology , that might not always be the same , but putting that out there , okay .
And then the next one is to be really , really , really cautious about providing personal or financial information online social security numbers , bank accounts , id scans , pictures of your passport , anything like that .
Yeah , I feel like that one's . I mean , hopefully , that one should be obvious , but you should hardly ever give out that kind of information about yourself .
I feel like generally , most people are good and just assume that other people are going to be good , but just have that healthy dose of skepticism that we were talking about earlier when it comes to this kind , of thing .
Our next one is to report scams wherever possible .
If you're getting scammed on a social media platform like Instagram or Facebook , if you're getting spammed on a job posting like a job board or a job website if you're getting text messages getting text messages , report it to whoever is relevant or to whoever you can , so that those people get flagged and that they can get taken down from those sites .
So that the more people that do that , the higher a chance they're actually going to get taken down and stop scamming other people . And then , after you report them , go ahead and block them . If it's a phone number , if it's an account , block that person . You don't need them in your life . You don't want to risk them coming back in another way .
If you block them , then often you can block that account and related accounts , or if that person ever creates a new account and tries to get in contact with you . I don't know how it works , but computers have a way of telling that it's coming from the same person , so you can block that , and so it'll be less likely to have that happen in the future .
We already talked about . The next one , which is to never click suspicious links , or even just links that were sent to you .
You can go instead , like , if there's a link that you want to actually check out , I recommend going to Google and typing in the specific company or website that you're looking for not obviously the full URL , but just I don't know if it's like old Navy , just like type in old Navy , and their website should be one of the first ones coming up .
And then the last but not least , is to start to notice patterns in the scams that you see . So like I've gotten a lot of like anytime anyone says hey , dear , I know it's a scam .
We've had a lot of text messages from people who will say things like oh hey , sarah , are you still able to pick me up from the airport tomorrow ? Or oh , I can't wait to have lunch with you . And then you'll say , oh , I think you have the wrong number .
And then they'll say something like , oh , I'm so sorry , it must be fate , like we were meant to be getting in contact and like I don't know if you guys have had that same experience . We've had a lot of people texts like that . So we've noticed that pattern , that same messaging , the same framework , the same approach that people try .
So the more that that happens , you can kind of notice patterns and stay clear of those .
You'll pick it up quick and it kind of I feel like it kind of goes in cycles , like I'll get a bunch of like Bitcoin scam right off the get go , and then I'll change and it'll be like I'll get like Facebook requests hey dear . Yeah , Facebook request . Like it goes in cycles . They're not super original and they're scamming .
They're smart , but they're not that smart . So just like pay attention whenever these things happen , take mental note of it , so when it happens again , you spend less mental energy trying to figure it out .
So there you go , you guys our top tips for you know safe practices online and when you're applying for jobs or engaging on social medias , and then also some red flags to watch out for . We hope that this gave you some new insights and new information . We really want you guys to be practicing some safe searching out there , safe online surfing .
Just don't don't be the bad statistic , you guys . Thanks so much for joining us here on the profitable Nomad Couple podcast . We appreciate you listening to us today .
If you enjoyed this episode , share it on Instagram and be sure to tag us . At Austin and Monica , together , we can inspire others to embrace a location independent lifestyle .
And while you're there , we'd love to connect with you , so make sure you follow us for more tips and inspiration on living your dream location independent lifestyle .
Until next week . Remember that you have the power to shape your own path . So stay curious , stay adventures and stay connected .