Psst! There Really is NO "Weird Trick"

While there is a lot of great content on the internet, there's even more out there designed to trick you into visiting a web page you probably don't want to see. Generally, they're just ads disguised as news. Often these pages are so heavily laden with ads they'll barely load, all in hopes that you will accidentally click one or more of the ads so the page owner will get paid for your click. Some have more insidious intent, ranging from loading malware on your machine for malicious kicks to hijacking your data and possibly your identity. Some take control of your device and attempt to blackmail you into paying them to give it back. (Tip: don't pay. Ditch the device instead.)
     So, the next time you're browsing and you see "Sponsored Content" or a series of headlines that use these key phrases, avoid the temptation and JUST DON'T CLICK IT. Be sure and teach your kids how to identify fake headlines, too.

• What happened next will Make Your Jaw Drop/Surprise You/Shock You: This one is slightly true - you'll be absolutely shocked and surprised when your machine crashes and the tease photo has nothing to do with where you land.
• A Brilliant/Surprising Way to Pay Off Credit Cards/Mortgage/Debt: Yeah, these are inevitably ads for "credit counseling" services who will charge you massive fees and likely leave you worse off than you started. Want to get rid of debt? There are only two legal, effective options: 1) Pay more than your minimum balance each month and 2) file bankruptcy (requires you meet certain eligibility requirements).
• _________'s Tip has Banks/Mortgage Companies On Edge/Angry/Worried: This page will likely send you to a "story" that offers links to a "service" that will collect your personal financial/identity data. If you want to refinance your mortgage or debt, stick with a legal, insured, reputable financial organization and skip the internet "tips and tricks." Sadly, often the famous person quoted has no idea his or her name has been used in the ad.
• New Site Reveals All: These headlines normally prompt you to look yourself up. Naturally they will find data that is blatantly erroneous and/or your private information they've scraped from a poorly secured government site or other service that has your info. Guess what? They'll also offer to hide/protect/correct your information for a not-so-nominal endlessly recurring fee. Instead of paying that fee, email CSERVICE@USSEARCH.COM and let them know you'll be happy to participate in a class action lawsuit for violation of the privacy act if they don't stop publishing your private data immediately. (Yep, all those sites tie back to the same company. Shocker!) When they ask you for more information to remove you from their searches, don't provide anything they don't already obviously have.
• Drivers Feel Foolish or Don't Know This Simple Trick: Ad for an insurance quote from a questionable provider.
• How This <insert person or item> Is Disrupting <insert industry>: Just another ad disguised as news.
• <Insert #> Shocking/Interesting/Jaw Dropping/Never Seen Photos: Usually leads you to a slide show so rife with ads the pictures don't actually load. They're rarely anything new.

The short of it is, if the headline is seriously sensationalistic or too good to be true stories about "other people," it's likely a fake or an ad.