Being a security professional with several contracts, I figured it would be important to write a quick, comprehensive reference on what scamming is and where it’s going for you guys. You may already know most of this, but I just want to do the newer guys a favor.
NOTE: I despise scamming- this is simply for knowing who you go up against. That being said, let’s dive in:
The lowdown on scammers
Scammers typically try to rip off as many people as they can in as little time as possible. This may occur on many different platforms, from the phone (like what ScammerRevolts does on youtube) to fake webpages.
Generally, to avoid getting scammed, always be hesitant before giving any personal information out. If people get upset with you because you are taking your time, odds are they are running a scamming/phishing op._
How to get back at scammers
First, make sure you’ve caught em in the act. Next, make sure you have a plan on how you’re gonna do it. For the IT tech support scammers, you’ll need to know some hacking basics. For other scammers, good options could be wasting their time, creating a fake bank account with no money to catch em, or letting the police know. Your call.
Where scamming has been going recently
Due to many remote desktop tools being blocked in foreign countries where scammers tend to live, scammers are now often doing things along the lines of phishing (communicating something that seems trustworthy to get personal info). EWhoring has seen a surge in popularity as of recent, where people create fake online dating/adult sites and get the user to “pay” for the first month or input their personal info to gain access to the site. But they don’t get access- their credit card gets overdrafted.
With this trend on the rise, it’s actually much easier to take down scammer’s sites too. Knowing web application pentesting and basic programming skills will be critical as a result of this.
Though I hate 'em, I can see phone scammers living on, too. But you’ll wanna keep your eyes peeled on all platforms, now that it’s so easy to make an internet-based service.