Fraud on the Internet is as old as the Internet itself, but recently it has become widely known, as fraudsters are more active today than before. The prevailing COVID-19 pandemic is being exploited, as a large number of people still rely on the Internet in almost everything - from work or school to communication and shopping. 
Google introduced a program that aims to help Internet users identify fraudsters and prevent fraudsters from working full time. On his blog, Google Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist Wint Cerf noted that there have indeed been record fraud reports in recent months, and according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), $ 2019 billion was lost in 1,9 alone. COVID-19 fraud reportedly led to victims losing more than $ 40 million to fraudsters. In addition, very believable late payment frauds or fake winnings in tenders have reportedly led to trusting Internet users losing over $ 3600 per minute.
In this way, the search giant launches the Scam Spotter program to train Internet users to recognize and prevent fraud. All program details can be found at ScamSpotter.org. Google Vice President advises us all to share the website with friends and family members, especially older people who, research has shown, are the ones who suffer the most from fraud.
The program is based on three simple rules that should be considered when working with suspicious email, phone call or message:
- Slow down: you are told that it is urgent? Take your time and ask questions so as not to get into a bad situation.
- Spot check: claim they are from a particular institution? Do your own research to double-check the details you get.
- Stop! Do not send: they ask you to go to the store and receive gift cards? If you think the payment seems suspicious, this is probably true.
( source)
