How to Avoid Online Education Scams

The several possibilities conveyed by the internet today would be hard to imagine 30 years ago. Even industry experts made a mockery of the internet’s sustainability when it first surfaced. Now people don’t just connect, buy, and sell online, schooling has also become possible. With online education, schedules are flexible, the cost of commuting is waived, as well as the cost of living on campus. For online college students, exploring these online education opportunities can be a daunting task due to its surroundings being flooded by scams.

How to Avoid Online Education Scams

Everyone seemingly loves it easier and faster, this has proven to be the selling point for online education scams. Several options seem to be available, especially the ones that guarantee students the completion of their degree program mostly within a year. This sounds too good to be true, but many students will still fall for it.

These fake online institutions take advantage of students' desire to obtain knowledge through a medium that’s easier and cheaper. Similarly, a subset of these online education scams stem from platforms that promise to help students with their assignments and essay work. If you need these services at all, evaluate the best essay writing services reviews, to determine which works best for you. We understand that school activities can be strenuous, getting a helping hand would do a lot of good, most importantly, getting help from the right place.

How to Avoid Online Education Scams

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, e-learning platforms and online courses became popular, allowing us to take classes online. This trend features both the good and the bad. Here are the warning signs of online education scams to watch out for:

  1. They suggest an opportunity to achieve a degree in a short timeframe. Earning a degree is made to look easy and less stressful.
  2. Little or no dealing with professors. Interaction with professors is one of the best things that any institution can offer you. If you’re denied this opportunity, re-evaluate your options.
  3. They sell real-world experience in their programs, knowing that this is what many love to hear. They do not emphasize classroom work.
  4. Campus addresses are ambiguous and the information about the people running it doesn’t look genuine.
  5. They require that you pay by degree. Validated institutions don’t ask for upfront payment for the whole degree program.
  6. Their names are closely intertwined with popular or reputable institutions.
  7. They promise you unhindered employment when you’re done with their course or program.
  8. They put a timeframe for their offer and promised an incentive to enroll early.

Normally an average person would identify these warning signs to avoid online education scams, but their attractive offers could be tempting for some of us.

We hope that this will help you make an informed decision and as discussed earlier, there are also a series of education & academic assistant platforms out there to scam students. We know school can be overwhelming, either online or offline, some students do well managing the demands while others take time to adjust.

Whichever category you belong to, as a student, academic papers and essays will stress you out, to write an amazing essay, start early and do it in stages. Avoid the bulk, doing it in bits gets the job done. More than you can imagine, you’ll be able to write a good essay. And if you would be needing assistance, follow our recommendation on the best essay writing services.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Conclusively, online education has caused a permanent alteration to how people learn in this present age. Many more will opt for online education as the population keeps increasing, and several circumstances call for more virtual meetings. To avoid being a victim of an online education scam, take your time with research, ask questions from people, and don’t be in a hurry to take advantage of mouth-watering offers

Author Bio

Eric Wyatt

Eric is an astute writer who has worked at providing helpful content in the education scene for a long time. His writing over the years has provoked changes in the academic corridor, helping students learn the best way to navigate their academic journey. Eric’s work has the admiration of several academic scholars out there.

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Online Threat Alerts Security Tips

Pay the safest way

Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.

Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

Check your accounts

Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.

Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are critical to online security.

Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.

By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.

Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).

How to Avoid Online Education Scams