Seeking financial freedom and stability, people turn to the unexplored realms of the internet. From freelancing (which resembles a traditional employer-employee relationship) to launching a content creator career, each endeavor comes with cybersecurity risks.
In this article, we hope to shed light on the key dangers of online-first money-making approaches, how to spot legitimate opportunities, and how to proceed confidently.
Online earning opportunities vary, but it basically mean using digital devices and the internet to make money. For example, you could post your photography on popular stock image marketplaces.
In other cases, you could freelance, sell digital art, post online courses, stream gaming sessions, or launch a social media career. Furthermore, some options also let you earn free money, meaning you won’t need to dedicate too much time or effort.
That could relate to services like JumpTask, and their premise is simple. People can browse the various microjobs or assignments, perform them, and get paid. All tasks are done online, without leaving your home (another feature of earning online).
Getting scammed or having a client ghost you after receiving their order are risks you cannot forget. However, the less pleasant realities shouldn’t discourage you from aiming for a more flexible way to earn money, maybe even eventually quitting your 9-5 in favour of your online venture.
Some of the benefits (besides money) should showcase the value of using your free time with a clear purpose:
Depending on how you earn money online, different risks can emerge. However, we will overview the ones relevant to the most popular options (such as becoming a digital content creator and freelancing).
If your chosen path involves posting content online and people slowly start recognizing your name, it puts a target on your back. The chances of getting targeted increase, and the variety of attacks doesn’t help:
How to protect yourself: Secure your accounts with strong passwords, stay informed about the latest social engineering and other digital attacks, and consider using a trusted VPN (check Best VPN Reddit discussions for recommendations).
Fraudulent opportunities to earn money might have started with get-rich-quick scams. Nowadays, they are easier to recognize, but some fake investment offers still manage to trick people.
People looking to start remote work or earn online might be scouting the available job postings. Unfortunately, not every position is legitimate or exists. Scammers will pose as recruiters for made-up companies or impersonate recruiters for actual ones.
During the interview or hiring process, they may require more personal information than usual or demand up-front payments for equipment. If such requirements are made to you, and the job proposal arrives sooner than expected, be wary.
How to protect yourself: Be skeptical of job postings and double-check their legitimacy. If needed, contact the official companies’ email addresses to see if the job posting originates from them.
Similar to becoming a more attractive target for direct attacks, hackers could also aim to exploit your information. Posing as you, they might contact fans asking for donations or for collaboration/meet-up opportunities.
If you’re running a blog and earning money through partnerships and monetization, scammers could copy your email and use it to make deals with brands (and get paid for them in advance).
How to protect yourself: Browse the internet to see if any websites/accounts are using your information.
Freelancers are bound to receive instructions and task descriptions as files. When a new client approaches you, they might send several documents for you to review.
Unbeknownst to you, the documents are malware-infected and could infect your computer with various viruses. Various file types can be malicious (even a PDF). For example, a keylogger would record all your keystrokes, including banking details or private messages.
How to protect yourself: Scan files that you have received or use more secure options (such as Google Docs).
When it comes to receiving payment for your work, prioritize secure and trusted options. For example, if a client insists on using Venmo or Zelle for making transactions, negotiate safer alternatives. If clients insist on using checks, remember the common risks (such as bounced checks).
How to protect yourself: Settle on or confirm the payment method before starting to earn money online with a particular option.
While this threat might not compromise your security, it definitely infringes on your content ownership and earnings. For example, this issue is highly persistent on social media, with fake accounts reposting other people’s content.
How to protect yourself: Creators encourage their viewers to report such accounts and add tags indicating the rightful owner.
All online activities have risks; your goal is learning to live with them. The key is practicing the best cybersecurity practices, protecting accounts and devices, and staying informed of the latest attacks.
Earning online is an attractive opportunity and worth it in the long run, even if you do need to evade some scammers and hackers. Recognize the fact that you might become a more attractive target, be exposed to some fake job postings, receive some malicious files, or fend off some other suspicious people.
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