Name: PROTECT: Protect against hacks, scams and spam
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PROTECT:  Protect against hacks, scams and spam

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<p data-block-key="whpy9">We’ve made two products to help manage your personal data. You can get your personal data deleted from companies that no longer need it, and you can instruct data brokers to stop processing or sharing any of your personal information.</p>

Right tool for the job

<p data-block-key="h87yu">One of the problems with companies having so much of your personal data is that they’re being hacked all the time by people who want to steal it. When they do that, hackers build a profile of you, especially if they can get different bits of personal data from different sources. That makes you more vulnerable to being targeted by scammers and even complete identity theft.</p><p data-block-key="aol9j">Your personal data gets sold by some companies and it lands in the hands of ‘data brokers’ who are all too willing to sell it to anyone who wants it. But you can stop them processing your data and so prevent them from sharing it. Rightly can help you stop third parties selling your contact information to other companies and so reduce the amount of junk post, junk email and unwanted calls you receive.</p>

<p data-block-key="egad2">Everyone needs to be aware of scammers out there. They are ever more sophisticated, targeting every walk of life. Women need to be aware of how fraudsters like to target them.</p><h2 data-block-key="111o2"><b>Scams targeting women</b></h2><p data-block-key="1k593">First, let’s look at scams that target women more than men.</p><h3 data-block-key="9hn07"><i>Dating and companion scams</i></h3><p data-block-key="b0ine">Amongst the fastest growing scams are romance and companion scams where criminals target people looking for love, romance or even just companionship. Dating or romance fraud is when you think you’ve met your perfect partner online, but they aren’t who they say they are.</p><p data-block-key="8ske1">Both men and women are targeted by these scams, but there’s evidence that one of the most targeted groups is women between 40 and 60 years old. They are often women who are at a time in their life when they are financially independent. It’s the money that brings the fraudsters out of the woodwork.</p><p data-block-key="6q45u">You may not think of yourself as vulnerable, but it’s surprising how many people get caught up in romance scams.</p><p data-block-key="4vd5v">The way the scammers work is to create false profiles, using stolen pictures and identities on dating apps or websites. They reach out to innocent people looking for a relationship. It’s simply a confidence-trick, and involves a thief pretending to be loving and affectionate to gain the confidence of the victim.</p><p data-block-key="9v1in">Often, the scammer uses a dating or social networking site to strike up romances with strangers. The fraudsters go to great lengths to gain the trust of their target. The scams can run for months and, in some cases, even years. Once they’ve gained the trust of the victim, they ask (either subtly or directly) for money, gifts or banking/credit card details. The amounts may start small, but they might increase in regularity and sometimes suddenly a request for a large amount for a made up event such as a fake medical emergency or legal problem.</p><p data-block-key="6sabr">The scammers ‘scrape’ data from social media websites. Personal information such as a recent breakup can be utilised as part of sophisticated social engineering activity. The scammers often create intricate narratives that use any available information on a social media profile, such as the names of relatives, friends, or other details that might add credibility to their approach and help them be taken in by their victims.</p><p data-block-key="3n7vl">Sometimes the apparent new love has a ‘great investment plan’ for the victim’s benefit. About 70% of victims of this kind of scam are women. Interestingly, there is evidence that people who think they would never be caught up in a scam are, in fact, more likely to be.</p><h3 data-block-key="b3rgf"><i>Online Shopping Scams</i></h3><p data-block-key="8jtn6">We all love a bit of online shopping. Scammers are good at setting up fake websites and often target women through, for example, fashion or women’s health products. Typically there are two categories of online shopping scam. The first is where the fake website fails to deliver against an order. So they take the money and nothing shows up. Or, secondly, they deliver a product that completely differs from what was advertised.</p><p data-block-key="c5dd3">So, if you’re considering buying something from an online store you’re not familiar with, do your own online search to find the real company and reviews or complaints. But don’t click on any links in an email or message that you’ve been sent, always navigate to the company directly yourself.</p><p data-block-key="82lm3">When an online store has failed to deliver what was promised or refuses to respond to your requests for a refund, contact your bank or credit card company to find out your options. You may be able to have the transaction refunded.</p><h3 data-block-key="47cu0"><i>Fake charity scams</i></h3><p data-block-key="41nk5">Sadly, scammers try to take advantage of our generosity when giving to charity. They may claim to be raising money for a fake charity or impersonate a well-known charity, not only stealing your money, but also reducing how much actually gets to where it’s needed.</p><p data-block-key="6mbmq">Scammers pose as either representatives of legitimate well-known charities or sometimes they’ve been known to create their own charity name. They capitalise on the good nature of their victims, linking their request for money with a well known cause. Global events such as wars or earthquakes get used as cover for scams.</p><p data-block-key="9s3n5">Other scams can include charities that conduct medical research or support disease sufferers and their families. They may also pose as individuals needing donations for health or other reasons. They might even claim to have sick children in need of medical funding.</p><h2 data-block-key="2i2hb"><b>Women’s data</b></h2><p data-block-key="23ku7">Scams often begin because a fraudster has access to a key piece of personal data. So, looking after our data is becoming increasingly important so that we know who has it and who has access to it.</p><p data-block-key="4p80g">In the light of last year’s Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade, and in light of certain politicians advocating similar changes to the law in the UK, women need to fight to keep control of their own health.</p><p data-block-key="1ahua">What happens to your data really matters.</p><h3 data-block-key="b9qfv"><i>Women’s health apps</i></h3><p data-block-key="esiuc">Millions of women use health apps every day. Apps to track menstrual cycles, for weight monitoring, and even apps to help navigate life with breast cancer. The apps collect a large amount of intimate personal data, but it’s very private and women need to make sure they have control of it.</p><p data-block-key="60ogc">Many health apps focused on women are genuinely useful. But, in order for them to function they collect a large amount of intimate personal data, some of which wouldn&#x27;t even be shared with close friends or family. So, if it’s your data, it’s important you have control over who has it, who has access to it and the ability to delete it from anywhere you don’t want it to be any more.</p><p data-block-key="e51u4">Of course it depends on the app, but the information that women&#x27;s health apps typically collect may include:</p><ul><li data-block-key="5j6sp">Name and address</li><li data-block-key="194ot">Gender and date of birth</li><li data-block-key="440am">Place of residence</li><li data-block-key="c7cn5">Cookies and IP address</li><li data-block-key="3evn9">Menstrual activity and cycle dates</li><li data-block-key="35q7v">Sexual activity and sexual health</li><li data-block-key="akluh">Fertility and pregnancy plans</li><li data-block-key="6uf5t">Sexual orientation</li><li data-block-key="dauq4">Cervical mucus quality</li><li data-block-key="1ko1f">Contraceptive history</li><li data-block-key="f675i">Sleep activity</li><li data-block-key="chet4">Health diagnoses and medications</li><li data-block-key="65lpq">Details of partners and children</li><li data-block-key="537b7">Dietary restrictions</li><li data-block-key="1t7u8">Fitness level and heart rate</li><li data-block-key="cigar">Whether you want to prevent or plan a pregnancy</li><li data-block-key="adove">Contraceptives history</li><li data-block-key="eq8pv">Body temperature, menstruation and intercourse data</li><li data-block-key="92upn">Ovulation, pregnancy test results and personal notes</li><li data-block-key="fvtts">‘Usage data’ such as traffic data and the features you access</li><li data-block-key="380ck">Whether or not you have an active prescription</li><li data-block-key="dd612">Abortion history</li></ul><p data-block-key="4hu71">While this information might be necessary for the app to function properly, what most apps don&#x27;t always say is that they share a lot of this information with third parties. Just as these details are personal, they can be equally as valuable to advertisers.</p><p data-block-key="dapma">It’s not only advertisers. Since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, security of women’s reproductive data has become even more sensitive. There are fears that authorities in certain states will attempt to track women’s cycles, medication including contraception and search history looking for medical support, with the intention of prosecuting women as a means to control their bodies. This sounds sinister, but it’s a real fear and not limited to the United States. Hard right religious groups in the UK have been making similar suggestions. So take care of your data and think about where it’s held.</p><h3 data-block-key="8ueii"><i>Why is women&#x27;s health data so valuable?</i></h3><p data-block-key="9tdl1">One of the reasons it&#x27;s so valuable to advertisers is because it allows them to target you more effectively. It allows advertisers to understand exactly what you feel, why you&#x27;re feeling it and when you do.</p><p data-block-key="96igv">Data may be anonymised, or in some cases it may not, and it gets shared with an awful lot of other organisations including social media companies, search engines such as Google and retailers such as Amazon.</p><h2 data-block-key="37h6u"><b>Is my data safe?</b></h2><p data-block-key="afjc4">Your data is not just at risk from unwanted sharing by health apps and websites. They’ve suffered their share of data losses, with the data falling into the hands of hackers who sell it online to scammers and who knows who else.</p><p data-block-key="3fnsu">Putting together profiles on individuals from data stolen from a variety of sources is a scammer&#x27;s dream, because it enables them to create successful scams or even full blown identity theft. Companies behind health apps and websites have been known to have data leaks by mistake as well as being victims of hackers.</p><p data-block-key="3u5p5">If the health apps and websites don’t have your data, they can’t share it and they can’t lose it. Of course, it’s not just health apps and websites that have your data.</p><p data-block-key="2qt14">The easiest way to get your data completely erased from companies that no longer need it is to use our <a href="https://right.ly/rightly-protect/">Rightly Protect</a> service that can identify who has your data and send a deletion request, to multiple companies in one go and for free. The companies must respond within 30 days and execute your legal right to have your data completely erased.</p><p data-block-key="2doah"></p>

Women, data and scams

<p data-block-key="egad2">Action Fraud, the National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre, recently issued a warning of a weight loss scam targeting people for their personal information. The organisation says it has received more than 300 reports about scam emails claiming to sell health and weight loss products. If you’ve seen an email like this, be wary.</p><p data-block-key="aohf8">It’s not just emails. The scammers use:</p><ul><li data-block-key="fsign">telemarketing calls</li><li data-block-key="9rdcf">text messages</li><li data-block-key="1vhhg">social media platforms</li><li data-block-key="fbehe">blogs</li><li data-block-key="a5q92">fake news websites</li><li data-block-key="einmn">banner ads</li></ul><p data-block-key="65p7n">All to lure consumers into purchasing seemingly miraculous weight loss products.</p><p data-block-key="1r9kn">There are several examples where the scammers say that a product has appeared on TV’s Dragons Den, claiming the Dragons have unanimously invested millions of pounds in ‘miracle’ diet pills - the biggest Dragons Den deal in history they say - but it’s a completely false claim.</p><p data-block-key="fd6m">Fake endorsements by other celebrities continue to trick people into thinking they’re buying genuine, tested and effective products. False endorsements are used with false claims, such as that women can lose one and a half stone in a single month by taking a particular pill.</p><p data-block-key="4qgio">Contained somewhere in the ad, there’s usually a weblink that, if clicked, takes you to a bogus site that asks for personal information including</p><ul><li data-block-key="4vo9g">age</li><li data-block-key="8ku1p">gender</li><li data-block-key="fq7iq">current weight</li><li data-block-key="8b7u9">goal weight</li></ul><p data-block-key="f67ob">The page shows a countdown clock alongside the fake reviews about the product, designed to put pressure on you to act fast - to go ahead without thinking about what information you are handing over.</p><p data-block-key="3nj2e">Next, inevitably, you’re asked for your payment information. Once you’ve entered it, it’s captured by the scammer. You could then see money start to leave your account and the product will never arrive. They might even try to steal your full bank details and in some cases, load malware into your computer or other device.</p><p data-block-key="7fbq1">Once you’ve completed the purchase process, there’s no guarantee an item will ever arrive.</p><h2 data-block-key="7oe94"><b>Reality check</b></h2><p data-block-key="fhc2r">The first and most important thing to remember if you get targeted with one of these products is that any promise of miraculous weight loss is simply untrue. Products that promise rapid weight loss are always a scam.</p><p data-block-key="vkhv">Similarly, other weight loss ads proposing application of electronic devices to your skin to promote weight reduction are also false. Here again, nothing you can wear or, for example, or a cream you apply to your skin will cause you to lose weight.</p><p data-block-key="8grh">Scammers use emails in particular that are designed to steal personal and financial information. Usually, there are links in these emails leading to malicious websites and if you receive a suspicious email, don’t click any links.</p><h2 data-block-key="8ce87"><b>Spot false promises and stories</b></h2><p data-block-key="71mod">Dishonest advertisers and scammers will say almost anything to get you to buy their weight loss products, whether the pills or cream or device are real or not. Here are some of the false promises you’ll often see in weight loss ads:</p><ul><li data-block-key="93jk2">You can lose weight without dieting or exercising</li><li data-block-key="349b5">You don’t have to watch what you eat to lose weight</li><li data-block-key="fn3q1">If you use this product, you’ll lose weight permanently</li><li data-block-key="6821l">To lose weight, all you have to do is take this pill</li><li data-block-key="a9mdm">You can lose 30 pounds in 30 days</li><li data-block-key="8evlm">This product works for everyone</li><li data-block-key="eldot">Lose weight with this patch or cream</li></ul><p data-block-key="8nben">In your social media feed, or sometimes in banner ads and ‘click-bait’ posts, scammers place false stories tempting people to click on a link to a new ‘wonder’ product. You may have seen so-called “news” reports about how an ingredient, for example, garcinia cambogia or gonji berries have just been discovered as radically effective for weight loss. But in fact, there’s no such new discovery, it’s all just designed to catch the unwary, dressed up as science. In one example currently online, it says “A top scientist at Stanford University has discovered an &quot;Ice Hack&quot; that instantly turbo-charges your metabolism by 450% or more”. Completely false.</p><p data-block-key="36fq">The scammers will sometimes go further, writing fake reviews about how amazing their product is. They often use images to illustrate dramatic weight loss, those classic ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots. Often, these images are stolen from other places, simply stock or photoshopped images. They’re almost certainly not photos of people who actually used the product they’re pushing.</p><p data-block-key="c384o">Scammers are well known for creating fake websites that mimic authentic news outlets or organisations. It’s not difficult to grab the logo of an organisation, create a domain name very similar but not quite the genuine thing, and create the hooks on which they catch scam victims.</p><p data-block-key="794bv">They use these very genuine-looking websites to dupe users into believing that they are real. But, links on the site go to other sites that are set up and ready to steal your information, deliver malware or gain access to your phone or computer.</p><h2 data-block-key="4f2u1"><b>Not just pills and creams</b></h2><p data-block-key="7264q">You may have seen ads for electronic devices or muscle stimulators promising that you’ll have a six pack in no time! Some studies have shown that these devices can tone or strengthen muscles temporarily, but have not been shown to do anything for weight loss. Scammers use ads promoting such items to capture your information.</p><h2 data-block-key="96v4v"><b>Beware of ‘free trials’</b></h2><p data-block-key="2gupj">Some scam products get promoted by offering “Free” trials. But they are often not free at all. Many people who have signed up for “free” trials for weight loss products have ended up paying a lot of money and fall into getting billed for recurring deliveries they didn’t want.</p><h2 data-block-key="f12eq"><b>Danger diet</b></h2><p data-block-key="5pri3">There’s evidence that some of these fake diet products could even hurt your health. Investigations have found that some weight loss products are tainted, containing potentially harmful drugs or other chemicals not even mentioned on the product label. Many of these products are targeted at weight loss and also bodybuilding.</p><h2 data-block-key="fj6g4"><b>What should you do</b></h2><p data-block-key="2doah">In general, if you receive an email that you were not expecting, proceed with caution. If you receive an email you believe to be suspicious, you should contact the real company or organisation directly. Don’t use any information from an email and never click any links contained in it. Navigate yourself directly to the company’s official website and check the information there. You can then also contact the real organisation and if necessary report the fake email.</p><h2 data-block-key="4be0p"><b>Look after your data</b></h2><p data-block-key="5t15u">Before a scammer can send you an email, they have to have that email address. Scammers get hold of email addresses in a number of ways including scraping data from social media accounts or buying data on the dark web that has been hacked in a data breach.</p><p data-block-key="l258">To reduce the chances of your data getting into the hands of scammers, you should get it deleted from any organisation that no longer needs it. You can get your data deleted from any company, in a single click, by using <a href="https://right.ly/rightly-protect/">Rightly Protect</a>. Our service is quick, simple and free.</p>

Right tool for the job

We’ve made two products to help manage your personal data. You can get your personal data deleted from companies that no longer need it, and you can instruct data brokers to stop processing or sharing any of your personal information.

Rightly Protect is 100% free

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Who's got your data?

Stop all that junk

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Women, data and scams

Weight loss scams are heavy