Fear, greed, scarcity the baits scammers use

The age-old street tricksters that dupe people and take away their money without force are rife and digital.

The tricks start as everyday conversations on a random text message, a phone call, or an email. Depending on how one responds, the results could be regrettable.

These fraudulent tricks are collectively known as social engineering scams. Scammers manipulate unsuspecting people to reveal sensitive information about themselves. That information is later used to contact and steal from friends or family.

Scammers are often successful in their tricks because they exploit the most vulnerable human emotions.

They fool people by exploiting their greed, fear, trust and scarcity and expressing a sense of urgency.

As an example, you might receive a text saying that a relative is sick or stranded and needs help urgently; or that your child needs some help at school, and you need to send some money urgently to a specific account; or that you need to make some "required" changes to your M-Pesa account settings immediately.

Digital-savvy criminals love social engineering because tapping into people's emotions is a much easier way to access information than trying to hack a password or PIN.

And the scammers are equal opportunity attackers; they don't discriminate between poor or old, rich, or poor, famous, or ordinary.

You may be scammed through a short message in several ways. You can receive a text message asking for a response or reply.

In some cases, replies are meant to trigger an event that steals your airtime. When your airtime is taken, you may only notice when you want to make a call but realise that you do not have enough.

Installation of code 

Be wary of text messages that contain a website link or hyperlink in their body.

If you click a bad link, you will trigger the installation of code or software on your phone. The software can be used to exploit something on your phone in a way that is hard to tell immediately.

If you receive a message asking you to call a number, unless you know the number, think twice before placing a call.

Always research a phone number before calling it, especially if you are suspicious. Some numbers look local, but they may be long-distance numbers, and calling them could drain your calling credit.

These kinds of scams are not limited to text messages. They are rampant on other messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or other social media messaging apps.

Be careful of tempting offers: If an offer sounds too enticing, think twice before accepting it as fact. Googling the topic can help you quickly determine whether you're dealing with a legitimate offer or a trap.

Whether you're dealing with someone in person, on the phone, or on the internet, always err on the side of caution. Don't be gullible; start by being sceptical.

Mr Wambugu is an informatician. Email: [email protected]. Twitter: @Samwambugu2