How to spot a scam

It is imperative for individuals and businesses to educate themselves about online fraud, and to stay vigilant in order to protect their financial assets.

Online fraudsters target anyone and everyone. As technology rapidly advances, it is important to be aware of certain warning signs that can help us recognise these scams.

Spotting a scam

Below are a few things to look out for when receiving emails or SMS messages from senders that you are not familiar with:

• You receive notification of winnings (money), but you haven’t entered the competition personally.
• You’re asked to deposit money into an account in order for the transaction to be completed.
• Sensitive personal or banking account information is requested, like an ID number or PIN.
• It’s an unknown sender. You’ve never heard of or done business with the sender.
• There may be spelling errors and incorrect grammar used in the communication.

Typical examples

1. I Am Mr.Kelly Rowland, I give out affordable loan at 2% interest rate. contact us at: kellyrolandloancompany@gmail.com with Your Full Name, Amount Needed, Country, Mobile No.

   Kelly Rowland: This is an unknown sender. This name does, in fact, belong to a female member of a pop group from the early 2000’s.

   I give out affordable loan at 2% interest rate: The sender is offering you a loan at a very low interest rate. It’s done in the hopes that you won’t be able to turn down their offer. It is also poor grammar, loans should be plural.

2. Congratulations! You have won R100 000 in our lucky draw . To claim your prize, sign into your account here using your cell phone number, ID number and password. We wil vontact you with further details on how to claim your prize.

   Congratulations! You have won R100 000 in our lucky draw: Ask yourself – did you enter this lucky draw? If not, do not respond to this email or SMS.

   Using your cell phone number, ID number and password: The sender is asking for personal information.

   Vontact: This is a spelling mistake.

3. I am in the military unit here in Afghanistan, we have some amount of funds that we want to move out of the country. My partners and I need a good partner someone we can trust. It is risk free and legal. Reply to this email majoralan_edward@admin.in.th

   Some amount of funds: This is a grammatical error.

   .in.th: This suffix to the email address is the suffix for Thailand, while the sender claims to be stationed in Afghanistan.

How to protect yourself

If you aren’t certain about something, go online and do research. There are many scam watch websites that clarify whether the content of an email or SMS is a scam or not. Use the first sentence or two of the email or SMS to perform the search.

Alternatively, search for the company name to find out more about them.

If you have been defrauded by a person or institution that deceived you into thinking they were associated with Direct Axis, please contact: fraudqueries@directaxis.co.za