Google Launches Website That Teaches People How To Avoid Online Scams

After seeing a massive rise in the number of scams on the internet –and the eyewatering amounts of money that these frauds stole from their victims– Google has decided to launch a website that aims to teach people how to avoid these online money-making schemes.

Google, in partnership with the Cybercrime Support Network, has launched a new website called ScamSpotter.org. This website is designed to help people avoid and stay safe from online scammers looking to get a quick buck from unwitting victims on the internet.

Why the website?

The two companies have decided to launch ScamSpotter.org after seeing reports of people falling victim to scammers in 2019. According to the FTC, consumers reported over $1.9 billion lost to online scams last year.

According to the new website's data, an estimated $1B was lost to gift cards in 2019. About $3,600 is lost to fraud every minute last year, and about $201 million was lost to romance scams in 2019 as well. The numbers are alarming.

What's more, data shows that scammers are also working hard to milk money off of people during the COVID-19 pandemic. These scams take advantage of the public's worries over their health and finances, and use cunning tactics including saying they are representatives of reputable institutions like the IRS or CDC. This they do to get people to pay them money.

ScamSpotter.org aims to teach people how to identify these scams, and what they need to do in order to stay safe from them. The website explicitly states that it expects scammers to steal over $2B this year, but this amount can be lowered if people know what to do.

How it aims to do that

ScamSpotter.org will try to reach its goal by doing the following:

• First, it will teach people about “three golden rules” when it comes to dealing with scams.
• Second, it will talk about types of scams and how these are typically done.
• Third, it offers quizzes that will test a person's ability to identify a scam.
• Fourth, it will provide links to a few trusted resources that people can check to be safe.

CNet noted that ScamSpotter.org is also designed to educate older people, who tend to lose more money to scams compared to younger internet users.