The idea of bringing every business online is bold, though the convenience it brings is unparalleled, and efficiency can now be observed in different business sectors. While the promised outcome of digital transformation is very exciting, one might question -- what about security and privacy?
Lately, I have been thinking of what the future might look like to most of us. And this article aims to give everyone the bits and bytes as to what one should keep in mind as we advance into the future.
Beware of scams. Fake Gurus.
Just recently, I've bumped into this youtube channel named Coffeezilla and I just love how he's exposing all these fake internet gurus on his show. The mission of his channel is to bring awareness to the general audience how smart people try to outsmart everyone else and take their money. His way of journalism is evidence-based and the formality of his show uncovering these fake persona is one of a kind. There is a big difference between trolling and criticizing, exposing his own identity as he whistle-blows these scammers requires skin in the game. Him putting his face and name into what he's doing (calling those big names) earned my respect!
Beware of scams. Fake Tech-Support.
I have been following Kitboga's youtube channel for a while. Kitboga's approach in exposing these scammers is very technical -- if you're into information technology and cybersecurity, I'm sure you'll love what he's doing. While the enemy Kitboga's trying to corner hides in being the screen, his way of bringing justice is to make sure scammers will be wasting their time of the day dealing with his plotted scene. Kitboga's videos show how these criminals move, think, and loot.
Beware of scams. Fake Rental Properties.
In the business we're in, we've seen the good, bad, and the ugly. Rental scams are rampant and it's everywhere! This is the reason why Onerent Inc. launched scamlord.ai that aims to combat fake landlords ("scamlords") that's been doing these crimes for how many decades now. The main objective of this ai-driven platform is to raise awareness to every prospective renter the probability of a property listing being a scam before they even make contact with the listed "property owner (scammer)" and fall into their traps.
Beware of fraud. Fake Recruiter/Agency/Applicant.
With the unemployment rate caused by the pandemic, every business now has the edge to properly capitalized on the huge talent market. While this could help companies expand and hire great talents, this also opens an opportunity for bad actors to capitalize on society. I've seen people who desperately need a job wasting time going through interviews and filtering process just to know the people/agency they are dealing with is not the one directly hiring for the post nor legitly affiliated to companies that have job openings. These bad actors are just simply playing with the "supply and demand" with the hopes of getting a referral/commission. Note that today, it's easier to start a so-called company by just simply buying a domain name. Getting a landing page from free-template sites, getting an email service and associate it with the domain -- and one now has a bootstrapped business.
Don't get me wrong. There are legit head-hunters out there, hired by big names to scout for great talents. There are also legit recruitment agencies out there, hired by big names to supply manpower resources for them. And to be fair, recruitment agencies also deal with candidates who falsify their resume and declare that they know-this and know-that, ending wasting recruiter's time for doing the interview.
What I'm saying is, in a world where anyone can make a "claim", one should be more careful who they deal with. Though lately, it has been flooded by internet marketers and promoters, LinkedIn is still a good place to go when it comes to building professional networks.
Beware of fraud. Fake you.
Even before this covid-19 outbreak, hacking company databases, leaking personal information, and exposing the most sensitive data to the black market is already happening. As we move most of our transactions online, it could be that our identity and privilege are already hijacked by these bad actors. As the government adapts this approach to innovation, make sure no one is acting on your behalf, and claim what is for you and your family.
As most online platform is associated with an email address (for the login), check if your email has been compromised via Have I Been Pawned.
As we embrace the future of every business, let's put privacy and security on the top of our priority. These two realms work hand-and-hand and is a shared responsibility amongst every one of us. Let's apply "thinking" and "researching" to our online mantra so we don't fall as a victim of these online crimes. Also, if you don't know what you're doing (online), ask -- and make sure to ask someone with credibility. Find someone you can trust.
