You think you’re safe. You have passwords, an antivirus, and two-factor authentication. But here’s the truth: scammers make billions because people keep making the same mistakes.

They won’t break into your account. You’ll hand them access.
They won’t steal your money. You’ll send it yourself.
They won’t hack your computer. You’ll install their malware.

How does it happen? Let’s break down the top mistakes that make you the perfect victim.

1. You Think Your Data Isn’t Valuable
Your personal data is already being sold on the dark web.

• You use the same password everywhere? Hackers can already break in.
• When’s the last time you checked if your email was leaked? (haveibeenpwned.com)

Your social media has your job, phone number, and interests? Scammers now know how to target you.

How to protect yourself:

• Use a unique password for every site (with a password manager).
• Enable two-factor authentication without SMS (use Google Authenticator or Authy).
• Minimize personal details on social media.

2. You Think You Can Spot a Fake Website
But you can’t.

• Are you 100% sure you’d notice the difference between binance.com and bìnance.com?
• Do you click links from emails? That’s how phishing sites steal your login.
• Do you log in to sites using Google or Facebook? That’s how phishing sites hijack your account.

How to protect yourself:

• Never log into banks, exchanges, or email from links in messages — type the URL manually.
• Use secure DNS services (like Quad9 or NextDNS) to block phishing sites.
• Check domains on who.is — if it was registered recently, it’s likely a scam.

3. You Will Send Scammers Money — If They Create the Right Pressure
Hackers don’t need to steal your money. You’ll send it willingly.

• "Suspicious activity detected — click here to stop the charge." You panic and log into a fake bank site.
• "Your account is locked — enter your password now." You do, and now they have it.
• "Hi Mom, I lost my phone, can you send me money?" You wire cash without confirming who’s texting you.

How to protect yourself:

Never click links from SMS or emails.

If a "relative" asks for money, call them directly to confirm.

If a "bank rep" calls, hang up and dial the official number yourself.

4. You Don’t Know You’ve Already Been Hacked
Most people find out too late.

• Have you checked if your passwords were leaked? If not, someone else may already be using them.
• Do you use the same password for years? It’s probably in a hacker’s database.
• Do you access crypto exchanges or bank sites without a VPN? Your IP is already tracked.

How to protect yourself:

• Check for data leaks (haveibeenpwned.com).
• Use a decentralized VPN (dVPN) to hide your IP.
• Set up login alerts on all your accounts.

5. You Will Install Malware — Because You Won’t Want to “Miss an Important Document”

Did you get an “invoice from your vendor”?
A “contract update”?
A “payment confirmation”?

You open it — and now scammers have:

• Full access to your device
• A keylogger recording everything you type
• Malware stealing your passwords and files

How to protect yourself:

• Never open attachments from unknown senders
• Open suspicious files only in a sandbox or virtual machine
• Scan all files with VirusTotal before opening

Hackers Won’t Steal from You — You’ll Give Them Access