Think twice before signing an online petition

Photo: depositphotos.com

In view of the recent political events, a large number of petitions with a particular appeal have spread on the Internet. Americans have become more active and massively sign them. But are they safe?

Site Time encourages you to be very vigilant and watch what you sign.

Before you add your name and sign the petition, take the time to do a little research. Look for reviews on the site on the Internet and make sure that the participants do not complain about fraud, a large amount of email spam or identity theft.

Remember that no government petitioning sites will ask you for a social security number, bank account number or credit card number to sign the petition.

The content of the petition is not always an indication of the level of threat. Some of the most ridiculous petitions were real, while others, not suspicious, were fake.

There are blogs that focus on the issue of fake petitions and provide a list of safe and insecure sites. Keep in mind that these lists may not correspond to reality. Therefore, analyze, read reviews on other sites before you sign the petition.

Spam

The biggest problem you may encounter when signing a fake petition is hacking email and constant spam. At a time when most sites introduce additional security measures to protect your data and mail in particular, many allow third-party use of your email address for a fee.

To avoid such cases, it is worthwhile to look in advance if there have been complaints about spamming.

Phishing

After stories and tips on how to avoid phishing, have gained considerable popularity on the Internet, it seems that its victims should be much less. However, many people still fall for it. This is not least due to the fact that fraudsters have become more creative, more refined and more convincing.

Sites are copied down to the smallest detail, and the URL changes minimally - to one or two characters, which is very difficult to notice, especially if you receive a message or e-mail from there.

The main rule here is: if you received the offer by mail or on social networks, do not follow the suggested link, but go to the store's website, carefully enter the address, and check whether such an action is valid.

If the letter states that following a link is the only way to get a discount or a special offer, this is most likely a hoax, since not a single store will want to lose the chance of a direct transition to the promotion page from its website.

If you suspect that you have become a victim of fraudsters, do not forget to check your credit cards, find out whether cards have been opened in your name or if strange addresses have not been indicated.

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