Learn how to avoid phishers and rogue survey websites

Nov 4, 2011 12:59 GMT  ·  By

Social media websites are filled with fake offers that promise free gift vouchers and products and that's why it is crucial for internauts to know how they can protect themselves against such attempts.

SCAMwatch released an advisory for Internet users on how to secure their assets and how to deal with these sorts of scams, in general.

Recently we've seen tens of Facebook offers that lead to the classic survey which earns the crooks loads of affiliate cash for each visitor they redirect toward the site. To attract us to these poll pages cybervillains use all sorts of tricks, offering us free products at Tesco, Cheesecake Factory, the Olive Garden, McDonalds and many more.

Sometimes we are lured with free iPads, iPhones, MacBooks and all types of gadgets that are popular at the time when the scam is launched.

To make sure you won't be a victim of these schemes follow these recommendations:

- never click on suspicious links contained in ads posted on social networks, not even if they're coming from your friends; - beware of surveys that are linked to posts from social media sites; - companies do give away free products sometimes, but to check the authenticity of an offer, contact the company and ask them or at least check out their official website as it will surely mention something; - be careful when sharing personal information and avoid such practices whenever possible; - online social networking profiles should be set to private, the information posted on them in many cases offering cybercriminals the edge they need to approach you; - strong passwords, different for each account, are highly recommended as this way, if an account gets phished, the others will remain safe; - don't accept friend requests from strangers; - if by mistake you provide financial information to a stranger or a website, immediately call the bank involved and ask them to monitor your transactions.