Internet scams are becoming harder to catch

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Internet scams are a major problem. Over the past few months alone, we've talked about some of the most recent cases, from the email trying to trick those who have requested a digital certificate to the fake email demanding payment of a pending university tuition fee , among many other cases of malicious applications that end up on Google Play .


Although years ago it was relatively easy to know if we were facing a scam attempt, the complexity of the scams has not stopped increasing and today it is easy to fall for one of the many scams that circulate on the Internet. At Google they want to help us avoid falling for this type of scam and have drawn up a list of the five most common scams today.

Impersonation campaigns against public figures
One of the most common scams currently is identity theft campaigns targeting public figures using so-called deepfakes . Using existing technology, scammers can create videos of public figures and take advantage of their reach to spread fraudulent offers and all kinds of other scams.


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Google recommends paying special attention to the facial expressions of the person in the video, especially if they are doing a strange promotion. The reason is that current technology has trouble creating perfectly natural faces and it is easy to spot a deepfake if you look closely.

Cryptocurrency scams
Cryptocurrencies are often targeted by many scammers. According to Google, the company has identified a large number of scams related to investment plans in different types of cryptocurrencies. In many cases, the image of a well-known person or the name of a company is used to generate trust.



The company recommends that people be wary of any investment advice that promises high returns, especially if it seems too good to be true: it is most likely a fraud. This is especially important if we have no investment knowledge, as it is easier to fall for the scam.


Fraudulent applications and websites
One of the most common techniques used by scammers is to replicate the website of a company or organization to make visitors believe that it is a legitimate website. The aim is to trick victims into giving away their personal information and banking details , distributing malware or even making fraudulent purchases.

Google says it has found that employee login pages have become a major target for scammers in recent months, who replicate the look and feel of these websites to obtain company employees' credentials.

To protect ourselves, the company recommends that we always consult the information on official websites and pay special attention to any signs that could reveal that we are facing an attempt at deception, such as spelling mistakes or design changes.