Unfortunately, on any internet site involving real-world interactions with people across the web, there will always be a small percentage of people who attempt fraud, scams and other deceitful schemes. Below is a listof red-flag behaviors. For a more comprehensive examination of specific scams, go to the following links:

https://www.onguardonline.gov/topics/avoid-scams?sort=popular

https://www.usa.gov/topics/consumer/scams-fraud.shtml


General Tips to Avoid Free Language/Learning Exchange Scams:

Refuses to skype before meeting in person

Emails you with unsolicited offers that are unrelated to LRNGO

Refuses to meet in a public place and prefers a private location

Wants unnecessary information (wants to know your home address, the birthdays of your children, etc.)

Wants money

Fails to provide a picture or basic important information on their profile that would indicate honest intentions

Asks for your LRNGO password under any pretense

Claim to be “professionally” certified in some way by the LRNGO website

Emails you a link to a website that is not affiliated with LRNGO

General Tips to Avoid Tutoring Scams

Proceed with caution when the party in question…

Offers to tutor at an extremely expensive rate

Wants you to pay for a number of tutoring sessions before meeting

Refuses to meet in a public place

Fails to provide a picture or other important information on their profile that would indicate honest intentions.

Gives you a cashier’s check; Fake cashier’s checks are common. Banks will hold you responsible for fake checks that are cashed to your account.

Actions that you should NEVER take

Never send money to someone you do not know. In fact, never respond(via text message, email, phone, etc.) to any stranger who requests money.

Never browse the web without real-time virus software protection in place. In addition to many paid software options, there are a variety of free anti-virus software to choose from. These include Avira Free AntiVirus (2014) , avast! Free Antivirus 2014 , 360 Internet Security2013 , AVG Anti-Virus FREE 2014 , and other options.

Never stay on the phone with someone after you begin to suspect that they are a scam. In other words, do not be courteous. Scammers specifically prey on those who treat them politely.

Never let anyone rush you, either via email, phone, or skype to make aquick decision. Scammers will often try to create a false sense of urgency to cloud your sense of judgment.

Never agree to deposit checks on someone else’s behalf.

Never give out financial information such as your bank pin or social security number.

Never give out more personal information than is necessary.

Never play a foreign lottery or listen to anyone who advises you to play a foreign lottery.

For more antivirus suggestions, go to sites like:

https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2400355,00.asp

https://www.techradar.com/us/news/software/applications/best-free-antivirus-9-reviewed-and-rated-1057786


General Tips to Avoid Teaching Recruitment Scams



Specific Instances of Teaching Recruitment Scams

Consider Doing the Following to Avoid Scams

Google the profile in question, especially if the profile provides either a phone number or an email address; if they have ever scammed someone before they have likely already been reported online.

Use antivirus software to avoid viruses that can be caught by clicking on links found in scam emails. If you know you have a virus currently on your computer, use software such as Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 2.0. If the virus is preventing Malwarebytes or similar programs from installing, use emergency virus removers such as Sophos Virus Removal Tool 2.0. For more information on this subject, go to https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388652,00.asp

Specific Scams to Watch Out For

For specific information on a wide-range of scams, including scams not necessarily limited to sites like LRNGO, go to https://www.usa.gov/topics/consumer/scams-fraud.shtml . All of the following examples are taken from official government websites or other trusted, reputable sources.


Social Security Scams

From https://www.socialsecurity.gov/phila/scams.html

"Another scam used an email that was designed to look like it came from Social Security. It provided information about the annual cost-of-living-adjustment and directed readers to a website designed to look like Social Security’s site so people could ‘update their information’ — valuable information to identity thieves and criminals.”

"Another scam used an email that was designed to look like it came from Social Security. It provided information about the annual cost-of-living-adjustment and directed readers to a website designed to look like Social Security’s site so people could ‘update their information’ — valuable information to identity thieves and criminals.”

This Social Security scam would then go on to direct the viewer to a phony website where they would be asked to input information such as their social-security number, bank pins, etc.


Information Phishing Scams

From https://www.onguardonline.gov/phishing

"You open an email or text, and see a message like this: ‘We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure that your account is not compromised, please click the link below and confirm your identity... During our regular verification of accounts, we couldn't verify your information... Please click here to update and verify your information... Our records indicate that your account was overcharged. You must call us within 7 days to receive your refund.’ The senders are phishing for your information so they can use it to commit fraud.”

"You open an email or text, and see a message like this: ‘We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure that your account is not compromised, please click the link below and confirm your identity... During our regular verification of accounts, we couldn't verify your information... Please click here to update and verify your information... Our records indicate that your account was overcharged. You must call us within 7 days to receive your refund.’ The senders are phishing for your information so they can use it to commit fraud.”

Often times these scams will pretend to be from official institutions. For example, the scam might pretend to be from your bank and threaten to close your account if you do not input the requested information. DO NOT click on any links within these emails or contact any phone numbers in these emails. You will only be taken further into the scam process.


Money-Flipping Scams

From https://www.fraud.org/component/content/article/2-uncategorised/71-flipping-money-scammers-lurking-in-social-media

"‘Flipping Money’ scheme, which is scamming people out of hundreds of dollars at a time. Fraudsters are luring victims via social media by advertising how easy it is to turn $100 into $1,000 with ‘smart investments’ or by taking advantage of ‘quirks’ in various payment systems... While these flipping money scams are not new, the use of social media networks such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and online classifieds websites like Craigslist to reach their marks is a worrying trend for fraud fighters. Scammers advertise their abilities to 'flip money' by posting pictures of themselves or others holding stacks of cash with a caption stating how easy it was to make thousands of dollars in just minutes.”

In general, proceed with immense caution when people contact you and start discussing funds, especially when they should only be focused on free language exchange.

"‘Flipping Money’ scheme, which is scamming people out of hundreds of dollars at a time. Fraudsters are luring victims via social media by advertising how easy it is to turn $100 into $1,000 with ‘smart investments’ or by taking advantage of ‘quirks’ in various payment systems... While these flipping money scams are not new, the use of social media networks such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and online classifieds websites like Craigslist to reach their marks is a worrying trend for fraud fighters. Scammers advertise their abilities to 'flip money' by posting pictures of themselves or others holding stacks of cash with a caption stating how easy it was to make thousands of dollars in just minutes.”

In general, proceed with immense caution when people contact you and start discussing funds, especially when they should only be focused on free language exchange.


Free Trial Scams

From https://www.rd.com/advice/saving-money/7-online-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them

"You [might] see an Internet offer for a free one-month trial of some amazing product—often a teeth whitener or a weight-loss program. All you pay is $5.95 for shipping and handling... Buried in fine print, often in a color that washes into the background, are terms that obligate you to pay $79 to $99 a month in fees, forever.”

Again, you want to proceed with caution whenever money is concerned. Immediately cut all contact with any profile giving you unsolicited offerings.


Scams posing to be from LRNGO

Proceed with caution if you receive an email claiming to be officially from LRNGO requesting funds, asking for passwords, social security numbers, or any other type of additional personal information.

Always check the URL of any potentially suspicious site. It should contain the phrase www.lrngo.com with no misspellings. If the email directs you to a site that is called something like www.LNRGO.com or www.LGRNOXY.com, report the email and do not input your information. Additionally, there should only be slashes after the “.com”.

For example, https://www.lrngo.com/user/login is a legitimate URL because there are only slashes after the “.com”. https://www.lrngo.com.xyz is NOT a legitimate site because the “xyz” follows the “.com”.


What to do if you have Been Scammed

If you feel you have fallen victim to a scam, you need to immediately let the appropriate government agencies know. This will obviously vary depending upon your country of residence. For those in the U.S., you can go to https://fraud.org to report suspected fraud. According to their website:



As a final note, it is unlikely that any agency will be able to recover stolen funds.


How to Report a Scam or other suspicious behavior on LRNGO

If you believe that a profile is acting suspiciously or in a manner inappropriate for the LRNGO community, please contact us immediately at info@Lrngo.com.