internet scam
A South Korean surfs an Internet site at an Internet cafe in Seoul Reuters/You Sung-ho

For many years, people have been victims of email scams, initiated in various countries. Some of these will require you to simply click on the link for hackers to plant virus and malware onto your computer system. Here are five of the biggest email scams and why you should not click links upon first sight.

1. The Nigerian Scam

Yahoo reports that there are several variations of the scam, but generally a stranger alleging to be from Nigeria, will write an email to you, asking for help. The stranger will allege to be a woman who is in dire need of help and will ask you to send her cash immediately or she will suffer. She will try to get your personal and financial details with the main objective of hacking your online and banking accounts.

2. The dating scam

The scam involves hackers who pretend to be an attractive woman overseas who lure their online dates into falling in love with them. They will start a romantic relationship with their online dates, chatting and exchanging emails for a few days until she goes through a big problem. She will try to ask their dates for cash so she can travel to their place and be together permanently. After the unsuspecting date sends the cash, she will disappear forever.

3. eBay scam

The biggest third-party selling site in the world is also full of scammers. Some of these hackers will send people an email, showcasing a very attractive item at a very low price. The buyer will be lured into purchasing the item on eBay, and the seller will require them to pay first before the item will be shipped. After the payment is confirmed, the seller will disappear and never send the product.

4. Credit card scam

Some people will receive an email where they allegedly have been pre-approved for a giant loan. They will be required to pay an upfront fee to receive the loan. Some people will instantly pay the alleged fee, without knowing that credit card companies do not normally do this in the ordinary course of business. Upon payment, the fake credit card company will never be found again, based on an article by NetForBeginners.

5. Lottery scam

People might receive an email saying that they won millions of dollars via an online lottery they never joined. The only requirement is that they pay a processing fee worth a few hundred or thousand dollars before the lottery cash can be claimed. Many actually believe the email and pay the alleged processing fee with the hope of getting back millions.

People should not be so quick to believe all the emails they receive. Always know the source and have computer experts assess the email to help you determine if it is a scam.

To contact the writer of this story, send an email to v.doctor@ibtimes.com.au