With the holidays approaching, your online activity may be on the rise. Whether you are seeking a good bargain, shopping for presents, gathering ideas or even looking for ways to earn extra cash, Savvy Student wants you to be on the lookout for scams and online predators.
In a recent post we spoke about identity theft and ways to protect yourself, as it is way easier to be proactive than to handle the clean up after you have become a victim. Now, we want you to be aware of what can happen online as we approach the holiday season. And sure, you might be thinking, "I would never believe that an Egyptian King has left me $1.3 million", but online predators can be very savvy and you may not recognize their tactics right away.
When reviewing emails, if your spam filter did not do the work for you, a surefire way to know you should be cautious is when the "To:" line is sent to "undisclosed recipients". Send those emails to your spam and trash folders right away.
Even though you have heard it multiple times, always remember that if it is too good to be true, then it probably is. The same holds true when shopping online, looking at Craigslist, and searching for part-time jobs. Hind sight is 20/20, but one piece of advice is to be aware of individuals looking for your account information or those wanting to send payment via money order. If you are buying or selling items online be sure they are paying you with cash or that you are using a payment vendor like Paypal. If it is an online purchase be sure to check out the company's entire website to see if they are associated with the Better Business Bureau or that they are a legitimate organization. Just recently, we were reviewing a website for a company that was offering a scholarship; however, the ".org" site that the flier referred to quickly changed to a ".com" site in the web browser, so we opted not to post that information, as it was quite questionable.
In the job market, always do your due diligence. If you see an ad for a job that you are interested in, be sure to look at all of the details. If the ad is for babysitting, see if you can get an address and use Google Maps to verify the location and residence. If the job posted is for a personal assistant or other company, be sure to look them up online and see if you can get references or reviews. If you are unable to locate information online, don't be afraid to request references or ask questions of your potential employer. Also remember, if you are looking for a job, it is to make money, not lose it- right? If any employer asks you to spend money, buy in to something or wants/needs you to transfer money somewhere, that is your red flag to walk away.
Your first focus at Brandeis is school, but while you are here, we at Savvy Student want you to be safe and be aware of what's around you and what may be happening right in front of you. It can be easy to fall victim to online predators, especially if you are not looking for or expecting it. However, if you equip yourself with the right information you'll be able to spot these scams right away and avoid a whole host of issues.
~Savvy Student
In a recent post we spoke about identity theft and ways to protect yourself, as it is way easier to be proactive than to handle the clean up after you have become a victim. Now, we want you to be aware of what can happen online as we approach the holiday season. And sure, you might be thinking, "I would never believe that an Egyptian King has left me $1.3 million", but online predators can be very savvy and you may not recognize their tactics right away.
When reviewing emails, if your spam filter did not do the work for you, a surefire way to know you should be cautious is when the "To:" line is sent to "undisclosed recipients". Send those emails to your spam and trash folders right away.
Even though you have heard it multiple times, always remember that if it is too good to be true, then it probably is. The same holds true when shopping online, looking at Craigslist, and searching for part-time jobs. Hind sight is 20/20, but one piece of advice is to be aware of individuals looking for your account information or those wanting to send payment via money order. If you are buying or selling items online be sure they are paying you with cash or that you are using a payment vendor like Paypal. If it is an online purchase be sure to check out the company's entire website to see if they are associated with the Better Business Bureau or that they are a legitimate organization. Just recently, we were reviewing a website for a company that was offering a scholarship; however, the ".org" site that the flier referred to quickly changed to a ".com" site in the web browser, so we opted not to post that information, as it was quite questionable.
In the job market, always do your due diligence. If you see an ad for a job that you are interested in, be sure to look at all of the details. If the ad is for babysitting, see if you can get an address and use Google Maps to verify the location and residence. If the job posted is for a personal assistant or other company, be sure to look them up online and see if you can get references or reviews. If you are unable to locate information online, don't be afraid to request references or ask questions of your potential employer. Also remember, if you are looking for a job, it is to make money, not lose it- right? If any employer asks you to spend money, buy in to something or wants/needs you to transfer money somewhere, that is your red flag to walk away.
Your first focus at Brandeis is school, but while you are here, we at Savvy Student want you to be safe and be aware of what's around you and what may be happening right in front of you. It can be easy to fall victim to online predators, especially if you are not looking for or expecting it. However, if you equip yourself with the right information you'll be able to spot these scams right away and avoid a whole host of issues.
~Savvy Student
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