GCG Asia Scam Guide: Common Scams Everyone Should Be Aware Of

GCG Asia has a team of writers focussed on researching scams. GCG Asia Scam team has done endless research on how and why many people tend to be scammed. It is easy to fall victim to scams especially in forex trading. While we do focus on forex trading, allow us to diverge from our regular content to write about financial scams and fraud because it’s such a rampant problem, making the latest news headlines daily.

“With the evolving world of today, the technology has made it even easier for scammers and fraudsters to prey on their targets from catfishing on social media to their victims landing on scams by just the click of certain website links through personal emails or social media platforms like twitter or telegram,” said GCG Asia co founder Cheah Li Wen.

GCG Asia’s Scam team of writers spoke to some victims in Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia to see what they have to say:

Maazad Yusuf Scam Victim, Malaysia

“He called my line, mentioned he was from the customer care service of my mobile network and he immediately knew all the contact numbers I often communicate with. Naively, I trusted him because I believed he would not have gotten any information regarding my call log if he wasn’t from the mobile service. He then proceeded to tell me that my mobile line was scheduled to be deactivated therefore, in order to prevent that from happening, he was going to direct me to certain numbers I needed to press on my phone.

The fraudster went on to ask for my passport details and began referring to me as Mr. Yusuf. Feeling comfortable and confident enough that it was a representative from the mobile network I gave him all my details including my bank card number. The call went on for hours on end until he finally hung up. Worried that my line would be blocked, I then decided to call the customer service line and realised the hotline number was different. This did not raise any alarms because they had a bunch of numbers to call for different services. After an hour of trying, I was then able to have a conversation with one of the agents and explained everything in detail. He asked for the number that called me and I gave it to him. Long story short, he told me that this had been happening quite recently to most of their customers and advised me to block my card and make a police report.”

COMMON SCAMS YOU SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR

GCG Asia’s Scam writers believe people need to educate and raise awareness of the issue. “Besides telephone scams, many social media users are prone to clicking links and buying items online leading to their card information being compromised, money taken and being scammed,” said GCG Asia’s Scam researcher Liza Choo.

GCG Asia’s Scam writers advise social media users to stop clicking on links before verification. They noticed that some of these scammers would open car, electronics or shoe pages on sites like Facebook and then advertise ‘their products’ on other social media sites such as twitter or instagram. Some would even go as far as creating brand names that already exist such as Amazon and bait users into buying ‘the products’.

GCG Asia’s Scam writers have decided to bring this to light as we continue to discover the different ways these scammers use and try to combat them by saving you. GCG Asia’s Scam writers are looking out for scams in order to expose and educate the public. You have to remember that scammers have different tactics and will do whatever it takes to get your money. Here are just a few of the scams that individuals are likely to fall for.

1. QUID PRO QUO

From investigations by GCG Asia’s Scam writers, they’ve learned that psychologists have confirmed that this is the easiest way scammers use to prey on their victims. An example would be if you received an email talking about investments or if you began an online relationship where the scammer ‘invested’ in you. What this means, especially for online relationships, is that these fraudsters first find ways to gain your trust by making you believe you can count on them as a friend. Before you know it, they lure you in by making you think their life is in shambles and has gone to complete ruin, and because they have gained your trust, you feel safe enough to believe them and extend your helping hand. By the time individuals realise they have been scammed, a large chunk of what they own is lost.

2. FAKE INVESTMENT PHONE CALLS

GCG Asia’s Scam writers say that many scammers tend to use phone calls to achieve what they want. One of the most recent ways these fraudsters have boosted their scam game is through phone calls. What these fraudsters do is that they randomly guess a phone number, mention that they are from a certain esteemed company, bank or phone network and if the owner of the line is naive enough to fall into their trap, they hit their target.

“It is as easy as convincing you to invest into a certain platform and sell you dreams of how quick and successful everything could be. By giving you ‘examples’ of success stories, individuals are likely to hop on the fake trend and invest, making them scam victims,” explains GCG Asia’s Scam researcher Liza Choo. Just like the fake amazon purchases, under the ‘products’ are usually fake reviews as well which can entice an individual into thinking they are making the right decision while walking into a trap.

3. ‘THE LUCKY DRAW AND SPIN’ SCAM

Are you a social media user? Well in this day and age many of us are; but have you ever come across companies that pose as major companies and offer giveaways? GCG Asia’s Scam team spoke to a victim of this scam from Singapore:

Alamin Mohammed Scam Victim, Singapore

“I remember it just like it was yesterday. I came across a fake amazon page that was giving away the latest iphones and laptops. Here I was extremely excited because I thought the catch was to pay for the shipping of the item, little did I know that the whole thing was a scheme. As a young college student not being able to afford all these items, it was like a dream come true. You mean all I have to do is spin and hope the arrow lands on one of the latest electronic devices? I let my friends know and forwarded the link to them. Little did we all know that it was a scam and all our bank card information was stolen. Was it greed or was it just the hope of wanting to have those particular items? All I know is that I would rather work hard and buy what I desire because that mistake is to never be repeated again.” It is human nature to desire beautiful things. We tend to be drawn to things that please our eyes and scammers use this to their top advantage. Therefore, it is important to look out for these types of scams and be wary in order to avoid being a victim. It is also important to not have the fear of missing out on certain things instead appreciate what you hold currently.”

4. LOVE SCAMS

According to a GCG Asia Scam research by GCG writers, statistics show this type of scams are very prevalent. Some forms are immigration related. This is a scam where the fraudsters create real or fake social/dating profiles in the pursuit of going to the US or even Japan. On the real profiles, the scammers use their identities and make both men and women fall in love. Once they succeed in doing that, the next natural move for the victim is to begin considering marriage. What the victim does not know however, is that the scammer is only looking for a way into the US. For others, these scammers create catfish accounts even as men and pursue the same sex in hopes of extracting loads of money. “Some even go as far as having a U.S phone number to trick their victims into eventually meeting but to no avail, the meetings never happen and it turns into an ongoing ‘relationship’ that ends up leaving the victim broke and in debt,” GCG Asia’s Scam writer and researcher Liza Choo.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. GCG Asia Scam writers believe that every individual should look out for scams because it can happen to anyone knowingly or unknowingly.

Visit this website regularly if you learned something about scams by GCG Asia Scam team and want to know more!