When life throws you waves, learn how to surf

People are becoming more and more susceptible to online scams, and it’s not necessarily due to stupidity – it’s because the scamsters have become much more adept and professional, and their scams are more realistic. Some of the new types of scams include crypto currency, binary trading, promises of love, offers to renew your antivirus, catfishing, hospital emergencies and even COVID vaccine scams.

it is not uncommon to hear about a friend’s Facebook account or WhatsApp being hacked, but how exactly does it happen, and more importantly, how can you prevent it?

Recently a Mrs SA finalist’s WhatsApp number was hacked and all her contacts were stolen. The scammers then sent a message to all of her contacts, telling them that she was in hospital without a medical aid, and that she needed money for doctors’ bills.

And then there is catfishing…have you ever been catfished? Do you even know what that is? A catfish, in simple terms, is a fake profile. The person is not who they claim to be. They’ll generally use a gorgeous profile photo to lure you into giving them money, airtime or Google play vouchers.