Did you just win the lottery or a free iPhone 13? Beware of the online fraud

We have all received that one text message that tells us that we have won the Lottery or a free iPhone 13 and that we only need to click on a link to claim our amazing reward. These are the oldest tricks in the online scam universe. Yet, somehow they still manage to get victims who fall for the incredible promises made by these messages. Things have become so concerning in fact, that the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Twitter handle tweeted out a warning to all users against clicking on such malicious links. If you have received any such message, don’t click on the link. It can be an online fraud.

Yesterday, after a message got viral that the government was distributing free laptops for all the students in India, PIB posted a tweet stating that it was fake. Later, it made another tweet warning people against any such online scams. "Every link that you receive online is not reliable! Be cautious of such links that lure you into winning lotteries, providing free gadgets & data by sharing your personal information. Do not forward these messages with malicious links. Stay aware! Stay Vigilant,” the tweet said.

Don’t believe the message that says you have won the lottery

It is probably the oldest trick in the online scamming book. It surfaced in the early 2000s over emails and later made its way to text messages. In its earlier form it was popularly known as the ‘Nigerian Prince’ scam because the message would always involve a Nigerian Prince who wanted to give you a huge sum of money but first needed you to send them some money to unlock their bank account. And no matter how silly it sounds, people have fallen for this for ages. Even today, if a message said you have won the lottery result or a free iPhone 13, you will probably open the message to see what it has said. And that is the trap.

Always remember that life does not hand out freebies and if something looks like it is too good to be true, it probably is. Never click on a link if you received it from an unrecognized source. Stay safe online at all times.