A grey, blue-eyed dog wearing a purple superhero cape has answered the door to a large brown bull. The superhero is fighting back against door-to-door scams by taking the time to read the fine print and not giving in to sales pressure. True or False : Websites that offer health products with claims of a scientific breakthrough and include complex technical information, success stories and physician endorsements must deliver on their promises.
An elderly man with a grey beard in a purple superhero suit is upheaving a wooden cart with one of his arms. A green snake-like monster is slithering through the cart, while opened bottles of pills are spilling out onto the ground. If you are learning about an alternative treatment or health product for the first time online, be suspicious. Fraudsters load their sites with confusing technical medical terms to persuade you into believing they know what they are talking about.
They are requesting monetary donation to help victims of a recent earthquake, hurricane or flood in South-Central Nwamubia. You naturally feel for the plight of this country's people and want to help. Responding to a humanitarian crisis can bring out the best in some people but it can also bring out the worst in others.
Be on the lookout for scammers who falsely present themselves as belonging to a humanitarian relief group. Their true goal is to prey on your kindness and to profit from a disaster. You receive an email from your bank. It says your personal information in your profile has expired and needs to be confirmed to keep your account open.
The email features a link to a website where you are asked to enter personal information, such as your date of birth, social insurance number or credit card number. The superhero is fighting against a scary-looking angler fish with sharp teeth and bulging eyeballs.
Click here to give us your banking info. The superhero is not taking the bait. They are about to delete a common phishing scam that tries to get personal information by pretending to be a real organization. The word phishing comes from the analogy that Internet scammers use email lures to fish for passwords and financial data from the sea of online users.
Scammers create email messages and websites that are replicas of existing, legitimate ones, tricking people into submitting their personal information, including passwords and financial data, with the intent to commit fraud. Legitimate banks or credit unions will not ask their customers for personal information through email, text or voicemail.
Six brightly dressed superheroes stand together and are ready to fight fraud. The diverse cast of the superhero team ranges in different ages. From left to right, they include:. The diversity of the superhero team represents the fact that anyone is capable of fighting fraud. Every demographic is at risk of becoming a victim of fraud. Scammers are adaptable and clever. Don't be a victim: stay informed.
Send us money. Romance scams A grey, blue-eyed dog wearing a purple superhero cape is confronting a scammer on a dating site. Purchase of merchandise scams A teenage boy in a red superhero suit is flying through the air. The superhero has revealed an online shopping scam that was too good to be true.
Counterfeit products and fake reviews A muscular man in a blue superhero suit stands ready for fraud-fighting action. Subscription traps A red-haired woman in a yellow superhero suit is pushing back against a too-good-to-be-true free subscription offer, represented by a purple book decorated with a glossy red bow that has been placed inside a bear trap. CEO scams A red-haired woman in a yellow superhero suit is flying through the air.
Door-to-door scams A grey, blue-eyed dog wearing a purple superhero cape has answered the door to a large brown bull. Health product scams An elderly man with a grey beard in a purple superhero suit is upheaving a wooden cart with one of his arms. The superhero is resisting the allure of the quick fixes promised by health and medical scams.
Fake charities A teenage boy is giving a thumbs-up. Who is typically targeted? From left to right, they include: a sitting grey, blue-eyed dog wearing a purple superhero cape; an elderly man with a grey beard in a purple superhero suit, waving hello with his right hand; a red-haired woman in a yellow superhero suit with a small smile; a teenage boy in a red superhero suit is giving a thumbs-up; a smiling teenage girl in a lime green superhero suit; and a muscular man in a blue superhero suit with a big smile.
Fraud quiz 1. Extortion scams You receive an alarming call from someone who claims to be from the government. You give the caller your contact information and ask that a copy of the caller's identification card be sent to you by email or fax before sending the money. You hang up and call the official phone number of that government body to inquire about your account.
You pay the amount claimed and insist that a detailed receipt or acknowledgement letter be sent to you afterwards. Romance scams You met someone on an online dating site a few months ago. You send money to help the daughter, given the urgency of the situation.
You send him half the money because you want to help, but you also want to protect some of your savings. You are suspicious and do not send any money right away despite your desire to help.
Purchase of merchandise scams When shopping online, you want to avoid being charged for merchandise that never gets delivered to you. Shop around using various sites. Inspect the website thoroughly. Ask the supplier questions to ensure that the contact information they provide is valid. Research the reputation of the online business. Use a payment method that offers protection to customers. All of the above.
To avoid these scams: Thoroughly research an online store or website prior to making a purchase to ensure the company is legitimate. A simple Google search of the name of the online business may indicate whether anybody has suggested the offer is a scam. Carefully read the online store's terms and conditions. Inquire about returns and warranties. Inspect the website thoroughly for any spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Be suspicious of overly complicated return policies that involve lengthy processing times and delays.
Ensure that their email address is still active. Use a credit card or debit card when shopping online. You can sometimes take advantage of extra measures of protection. Counterfeit products and fake reviews You log on to your favourite social media website and notice a post from a business offering various brand items at a bargain price.
Overpayment scams You've posted and sold an item on an online classified website. The latest wave of misinformation surrounding the case totals stems from the U.
Some social media posts pointed to that as proof the test could confuse the two viruses, inflating the number of COVID cases with influenza, which was down significantly during the flu season. The U. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee wrote in a July 26 Facebook post about the alert that the test could not differentiate whether someone is infected with COVID or influenza.
He wrote that it was "sparking questions" about the inclusion of cases identified with the test in the tally of COVID cases. The isolation of infectious virus from positive individuals requires virus culture methods. These methods can only be conducted in laboratories with specialist containment facilities and are time consuming and complex. The quote regarding the limitations of PCR tests appears not to be directly from Mullis, but in any case is not evidence the test is fraudulent. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.
Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts here.
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