Scam alerts Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

Scam alert: How to identify fraudulent or otherwise dangerous websites

Posted on October 11, 2018

Let’s face it – we live in “interesting” times.

Fraudulent, fake and untrustworthy websites are all over the Internet these days, and it’s easy to find yourself on one without even realizing it.

According to Internet Live Stats there are currently close to two billion websites on the World Wide Web. Unfortunately, not all of them are legitimate.

With all of those sites competing for your clicks from the Google search results and links on other websites, it’s extremely important to be able to determine which sites are legitimate and which ones are fraudulent and/or unreliable.

Luckily, there are several things you can do that can help you avoid those “bad” websites. [Read more…]

Scam Alert: Don’t fall for the despicable “Sick Child” scam on Facebook

Posted on September 29, 2018

Just when I thought the scammers on Facebook have reached rock bottom, they come up with what could possibly be the most despicable scam ever.

This ugly scam makes the rounds from time to time, and unfortunately it’s back again.

It always works something like this…

The scammer posts a stolen photo of a suffering child lying in a hospital bed and claims that every Like and Share will result in a donation to help the child’s parents pay for a life-saving procedure that they cannot afford.

But beware, it’s nothing more than a huge scam. [Read more…]

Scam alert: Avoid programs that promise to ‘fix’ your PC with one click!

Posted on September 24, 2018

I recently received a message from a reader asking if the “fix-all” programs that keeping popping up in ads on his computer will really help fix some issues he’s having with it.

Here is his message in full, followed by my response:

Question from Mike G: My computer is so slow I can barely even use it anymore. And it’s giving me lots of error messages and telling me to update the drivers.

I also keep getting messages trying to sell me at least 3 different programs that promise to clean up my system with a single click and make my computer run like new again.

My question is do those programs really work?

I’m asking because Google searches bring up mostly bad reviews for them. I hope you can recommend a good one. The cheapest one that keeps popping up is $20 and I don’t want to spend money on something that won’t help.

My answer: [Read more…]

Scam alert: Always assume that emails with a link to a login page are fake!

Posted on September 23, 2018

If you ever get an email that appears to be from your bank or some other online service telling you that you need to click a link in the email to log in to your account and update your personal information, don’t do it.

These types of emails are almost always fakes. And even the rare few that are legitimate should never be trusted!

There is one (and only one) exception: That is when you cannot remember your password for an account and you click the “Forgot Password” link, in which case you’ll most likely receive an email containing a link to click in order to reset your password.

ALL other such emails should be assumed to be fake! [Read more…]