Being safe online is really important – although much of the advice nowadays is understandably aimed at keeping children safe online, the fact is that we all need to make sure we are safe and aware of the risks that the internet can pose to us.
Although convenient and helpful in many ways, the internet has also been very useful to criminals. It has given them an anonymous platform from which to carry out all sorts of illegal activities, and leaves people who are innocently unaware of the risks as their victims.
There are many things put in place to protect from these sorts of things happening – for example, an AML ID check like this https://www.w2globaldata.com/regulatory-compliance-solutions-and-software/aml-id-checks is used to prevent money laundering. However, we still need to be vigilant and stay a step ahead of the criminals, as the various ways that they use to carry out our criminal activities, always continue to evolve.
Scam emails and text messages are one of the most common ways that criminals use the internet to operate. Trying to extract money from people by pretending to be a family member or a charity for example is something that is often reported.
If you suspect something is not right, listen to your gut, you are probably right. Make sure that you check thoroughly and are certain that the person is who they say they are before you ever send any money online. If you cannot be sure, then report to the cyber-crime department of the police.