The VPN scams discussed in this article may sound harmless to many but in reality, they are happening every day and causing a lot of damage.
A VPN is a crucial necessity these days but the same goes for online security and privacy. This is because of the increased amount of time that users spend online. The solution to this is a VPN, but even with a private network, there are a few scams that you need to be aware of.
Lifetime Subscriptions
One of the VPN scams that you need to be cautious and wary about involves the ones that provide lifetime subscriptions. It takes a significant amount of money to fund and maintain a quality VPN, as money is used for servers, app development and maintenance, security features, and other elements that need constant financial support to keep up to date and effective.
If a company offers a lifetime service for a small fee, you have to question if those services will be effective in the long term. Even if the VPN is legitimate now, if the service goes down in a few years due to a lack of funding, then you are going to be left vulnerable once again.
Fake And Free VPNs
Another potential and extremely dangerous scam would be fake VPNs as well as free ones. You have to be suspicious of all the programs and software you find online, especially those that are offered for free. As previously reported, almost every major free VPN service is a glorified data farm.
Some VPNs can be fake ones that don’t protect you at all but keep you vulnerable to suspicious activity, while others that do provide you with a private network may not do so for the stipulated free price tag.
For those new to VPNs, nothing in the world is actually free, and you have to consider what it is you are paying with if not your money. This could be your data or information or in the form of ads which for some people, may be worth the trade-off. These companies need to make money after all.
Source – Opportunites Digitales provides a list of various VPN options which are mostly free but also categorized as reliable, as well as ones that might be suspicious. It is always important to be cautious when downloading programs and giving access to your computers. There have been several incidents in which fake VPNs were used in spreading malware and stealing victims’ personal and crypto data.
You need to be careful with anything that you get online and research for yourself what the most secure and safe VPNs are for your needs.
Inadequate And Unreliable VPNs
It isn’t just free software or fake programs that you need to be cautious about. There are plenty of VPNs that you will consider legitimate because of their cost, but some VPNs may not fulfill their commitment to what they offer you. They are not trying to scam you, and still trying to protect your privacy, but just don’t do a good job with it. They may not have the funding needed to give you the security you expect or simply lack the technical capabilities to do so.
These VPNs may still provide you with some of the expected privacy and security, you may see slow speeds, poor privacy protection that is susceptible to data leaks, and malfunctioning features on apps and programs. If you are unsure about a specific VPN program or service, it may be worth avoiding the headache altogether and going somewhere that is more reliable.
Fake Websites
The actual VPN is not the only way that users can get scammed. The websites themselves can end up being a scam too. Fake and malicious VPN sites are common and can mask other legitimate and well-known VPN providers, targeting the customers that expect their products to be legitimate because of the name and the costs associated with the company.
Instead, these fake websites will steal the money that you are charging them expectedly, all while leaving you unprotected. It is important that you are careful browsing and searching for your VPN, ensuring that the address and links are correctly spelled and legitimate before clicking.
Fake Reviews
Another potential scam that you need to be on the lookout for when you are talking about VPNs would be the potential for fake reviews. This is because aside from the popular and major VPNs that are often the most expensive, many are trying to gain users’ attention and confidence to possibly purchase, download, and install their product.
Reviews are used to increase that confidence and build trust with unknown VPN products and services. Be cautious about reviews, especially when all of them seem to be perfect or have nothing to save that is critical. Take the time to look through them to check if they have legitimate feedback and concerns.
According to Mcafee’s Mobile Threat Report for 2020, 50% of threats against Android devices/users caused due to fake reviews and third-party apps. Therefore, searching for a virtual private network to provide you with the necessary security is not as simple as you think it might be. Because of the importance of one, people with malicious intent have made it more difficult than needed to find the right protection. Be cautious in your search and ensure that you can be confident in your VPN provider.
More VPN Topics on Hackread.com
- Edward Snowden urges users to stop using ExpressVPN
- What is a VPN and what does data logging by a VPN means?
- Europol takes down VPN service VPNLab used by ransomware operators
- India to Collect User Data from VPNs, Data Centers, and Cloud Services
- Personal details of 21M SuperVPN, and GeckoVPN users leaked on Telegram
