We humans always want to collaborate with others. The need to speak and communicate has brought us all to this era of social media. The Internet has turned this world into a global village where we can interact with anyone we want. But the negative side of this era is devastating in its own way. We can’t judge another person’s intentions; are they really what they portray themselves to be? The more we surf on the Internet, the more vulnerable we become to scams and frauds. Developing a network is not wrong, but the risk of enormous losses would be noxious. But you need not worry because we’ve got all the information you need to save yourself while surfing online. In this article, we will discuss Google Hangout scams one by one.
We all have a habit of rolling in deep to find the right opportunity for ourselves. Also, we try our hands at everything. We upload CVs online and contact any third-party organizations so that we can get one step closer to our dream job. But one thing we are unaware of is that, at the same time, scammers are also getting one step closer to us. The more we put ourselves out there, the more we risk getting compromised.
This usually happens to people looking for job opportunities in other countries. Scammers contact their victims and pretend to be the HR team of a well-known company. They show their utmost interest and appreciate the victim to his fullest. Then interview them through Skype, zoom, or Google Hangouts. After that, once they confirm the job, they tell the candidate that the company cannot pay for the flight. But they can discount flight expenses once the person shares their banking details. As time passes, no ticket is confirmed, but you are charged to your credit card. And that’s how you are scammed.
Another prevalent scam is a registration scam. You are provided with a job opportunity and then asked to purchase any of their packages. Each package has a registration fee. In many cases, you deposit your registration fee and start working on the package, and then after a month; you get to know you were being scammed this whole time.
It is better to contact the company yourself and double-check that it was them who reached out to you before investing anything. Try to run a background check on the team and the person in charge to save yourself from any penalty. It is common sense that if the person dealing with you is at a good post and the company is that well recognized, they will definitely have an official website and contact information.
Nowadays, everyone is working hard to get rich someday, but if we find a way to get rich quickly, we will surely take it. People can be so manipulative, targeting our weak points. Scammers invite people to Google Hangouts and zoom meetings and tell us our stories in their own words. It makes us feel that these scammers have been through what we are going through and they would never cheat us. They make us understand the whole procedure. Investing is not a crime, but choosing the wrong platform or representative is. Whether you should be scammed or not entirely depends on your efforts. How passionate are you to save yourself, how easily can you be manipulated, and how much would you run behind money? All these questions mean a lot. There are people running a scam under the tagline of trading, network marketing, affiliate marketing, or blockchain technology marketing.
In stock market trading, you are asked to invest $1000 and are guaranteed to make $12000 by the end of the first month. I am not saying this doesn’t happen, but it is also a part of the scheme. In the first few months of investment, you start receiving your profits, and then instead of taking out your money, you reinvest it. Now, this is the chance scammers have been waiting for. They take your money and pay the clients who are taking their money out, leaving you penniless. In some time, you will start seeing no profit anymore, and your account has become empty.
In the case of network or affiliate marketing, scammers take names of well-established companies and build their grounds. Then they tell us to purchase a package, and then they will train us to start the work. Mind both network and affiliate marketing are legitimate but not all the people reaching out to you can be the actual representatives.
You can write down the company’s name on the Google search bar and then write scam or fraud. Google will provide you with web results containing any scams or scandals related to that company. In the case of network marketing, contact the company yourself and ask whether they are providing their users with such an opportunity. If they say No, then you will get your answer very soon. If they say yes, reassure them that the person dealing with you is an actual representative.
Well, it is the hardest scam of all time, and saving yourself from it is indeed tricky. Why? Because it is imperative that whenever you join a company, they ask you to open a direct deposit account in their choice of bank. You can’t say no, of course. It is a part of the company’s policy, after all. What scammers do is they take your ID card number and social security number, and the rest you can imagine yourself. All your assets, including your bonds and everything you own, can be hacked, and you will be left with nothing.
They usually have a one-to-one meeting with you through Google Hangouts or zoom applications. These meetings are generally very extensive, and interviews are complicated. The candidate feels like they are getting through a very delicate recruiting procedure. And once you are selected, due to the entire process, this feels to you like a great victory.
Again, the same thing would be to contact the company heads yourself. Ask them whether the position was available or not or whether you were on their radar list. Then inquire them about the people constantly staying in touch with you. If you must open a bank account in another country, try to build an understanding with your firm, asking them to take such details upon your arrival. Make them understand that you will be more comfortable opening a bank account in person. Then anything happening will be on your own will.
Well, the more the desire to find your soul mate is getting on board, the more the number of romance scams is coming to light too. This niche contains various types of romance scams and, in short, different ways of breaking people’s hearts.
The first one on our hit list would be “a free meal for a lifetime Google Hangout scam”. Of course, as the name predicts, people, or what I call hunters, are in need of good food and a good time. Let’s get you some details here. You make a profile out there looking and waiting for a perfect match. In your profile, you describe your likes, dislikes, and priorities. There you get a massage from a beautiful woman or a man saying they think you would be a great match and have a lot in common. She looks forward to a memorable and cheerful night, just like the victim’s personality. You can talk to her on Google Hangouts, and she describes her experiences; and the good time he or she had in life, you start making even more effort for them to like you.
Tracing out your evening, everything should go perfectly; you take them to a fancy restaurant, and then the next thing you know is that you are fixed for the next date. At the dinner, they will praise you to the extent that you don’t want them to pay anymore and take the hike yourself. This again happens on the following date, and then suddenly you are blocked, no more chatting, no longer Google Hangout meetings. You are left with loneliness and misery. So, this is how you are being scammed by people who want free food your entire life. A simple way to save yourself from such an embarrassing situation is not to lead yourself with your heart; deal with the situation with your mind. Try to understand the other person’s tactic and save yourself.
The second biggest romance scam on the list is the identity scam. You think you are dating a person; you saw the pictures you’ve chatted with, but either the person doesn’t look like their pictures or is not that person. You share your thoughts with that person, not actually knowing their authentic selves. It is a shallow and, at the same time, ruthless scam. You are hitting someone’s weak point, getting to know their darkest secrets and then betraying them for fun.
The third one on the list is the “student romance Google Hangouts scam”. This type of scam is based on give and take. You can do something for your desired person; in return, they do whatever you want. Usually, as represented by the name, students are involved in this scam. They show their originality by chatting on Google Hangout, and you are sure about the person. But before doing anything, they ask you to do them a favour, like buying them an expensive book or essay, and in return, they are willing to do anything for you. You spend quite an amount because you think it is a fair deal, but actually, these supposed students take away the books or other expensive products and sell them on their own. So, you don’t get what you dreamed about, but the scammers did.
The fourth one on the list, the worst of them all, is the “blackmail Google Hangouts scam”. In this, you build a profile online. Someone shows interest in you. You like them back, and the story goes on. You start chatting and then meeting each other on Google Hangout, skype or zoom. Gradually, the relations go to a standard where both individuals get pretty comfortable with each other, and especially girls start thinking that this person is their soul mate.
At this point, girls are willing to do pretty much everything, whatever the guy asks for, including sharing photos, videos, or other personal information. And the story from here on is again the same. Once they get their hands on your highly private information, they start blackmailing you and asking for handsome amounts of money. If their desires are not fulfilled, the information you willingly gave them, tempered or in the original form, will be posted on social media. This usually involves indecent photos of a person. You need to save yourself from this type of scam, especially because other romance scams will only take your money; here, the question is about an individual’s dignity.
The fifth and final romance scam on the list is “the secret admirer Google Hangouts scam”. Who doesn’t like to be admired or cherished in this world? Having an admirer usually gives you a sense of confidence and attitude. But it sounds good only if the admiration is sincere and healthy. Whether open on social media or not, everyone is vulnerable to such a scam. You usually receive a message on Google Hangout saying a secret admirer is sending you a message; click below to open the message. You click, and that is your only mistake.
Sometimes, clicking on this message link compromises your personal information. At other times, the message link opens a dialogue page where you are asked to sign in to find the name of your secret admirer. You do this, and either a bug is released in your device so all your confidential information can be easily hacked, or any virus or malware spreads throughout your device. So, either way, it is dangerous to open such types of messages. If someone is sincerely admiring, he or she will opt for more traditional methods of reaching out instead of texting on Google Hangouts.
Yes, scams really happen on Google Hangouts, referred to as Google Hangout scams. Not only is this application vulnerable to a person using any social platform, but they are also vulnerable to fraud.
Yes, many employment scams have been seen on Google Hangouts. People run away, taking their victim’s money. They trap their victims by providing them with an unarguable job offer and package and, in return, ask for their bank account details. You provide details for a discount on your air ticket fare or to establish a new account in the company’s selected bank.
Yes, many scammers have left their victims with empty pockets and lonely hearts while scamming them at Google Hangouts.
No, until you provide them with your PIN code or social security number because all these things can prove that the person operating your account is actually yourself.
Of course, a person can present himself as a completely different person on online applications. You can easily be made fool about and wouldn’t be able to know the original or edited videos.
Most apparently, it looks like a scam because the number one rule to save yourself from online scams would be to contact the company on their official email address and not on the email provided by the supposed interviewer. The procedure is not a scam if they reply and consent to whatever you are saying.
People who usually pull out scams on other people have good manipulation skills. You need to deal with your mind instead of your heart. Try to observe the tactics; even if you are getting a golden opportunity, don’t get ahead of yourself or be overwhelmed. Just think and try tracing out a pattern, whether the deal is a little off or on.
The above articles present a Google Hangout scammers list. There are Google Hangouts’ employment, bank, investment, and online dating scams on the list. Anyone can make you believe that golden opportunities are being provided to you or that person is very sincere to you and wants to build a life with you; even though these opportunities are desirable, try using your mind and handle the situation. One thing to consider is that it is not about using only Google Hangouts; if you are socially active on any platform, you risk getting scams. Nowadays, fraudulent activities are widespread as this world is turned into a global village where anyone can contact anyone they want. The safest way is to use these platforms for fun and not for any serious commitments or things.