7 most common VPN SCAMS explained | Avoid VPN scam in 2021

- Internet users have been boosting their online security

and privacy, and fake VPNs are popping up everywhere

to take advantage of this.

These VPNs promise total privacy and security,

but they are actually scamming people

with false claims and deceitful sales gimmicks,

taking money and giving almost nothing in return.

Many of these are even security threats

that carry malware or steal your details.

So what VPN scams do you need to look for right now?

And how can you tell if a service is a fraud?

I'm gonna pull back the covers

on the most common VPN scams in 2021.

You will find out how they work

and how to effectively avoid them.

There's lots more helpful videos on VPNs

and online privacy and security over on my channel,

so please stop by and check it out.

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Guys, these are the seven most common VPN scams.

Number one is possibly the fraud

that I came across the most often.

It's the free VPN.

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Guys, and these services

are simply a tool for collecting your data

and selling it on to highest bidder.

In fact, as many as 38% of free VPNs

actually contain malware,

making them a security threat.

They spy on you,

steal your most crucial information,

infect your devices and bombard you with ads.

If ever you've searched for a free VPN service

on Google Play or the App Store,

you may have spotted free apps

that have really high ratings.

Don't be swayed by these reviews.

They are fake, created to gain your trust

and convince you to download this dangerous software.

A malicious OKVPN app was even deleted

from Google Play at some point.

So don't ever opt for a totally free VPN,

rather try a free trial

or a free plan from a trusted paid VPN.

Scam number two is lifetime VPN subscriptions.

The truth is that it takes a lot of money

to keep a quality VPN up and running.

There are servers,

apps, security features,

and so many other elements

that need loads of money to stay up-to-date and effective.

It's not possible to do this

on small once-off payments,

even if the service has thousands of users.

So if a VPN unlimited lifetime plan

isn't actually offering you

a lifetime of online security and privacy,

what is it offering?

This depends on the service.

A lot of the time lifetime means the life of the VPN

and for a lot of small free VPNs,

this lifetime is very short.

Sometimes lifetime VPNs collect

and sell your data or swamp you with ads.

These services may even start to bill you every month,

and watch out for third party websites that scam you

by selling fake lifetime subscriptions for well-known VPNs.

The third common VPN scam is the fake VPN.

These VPNs are boldfaced hoaxes.

At best, you are getting a proxy disguised as a VPN,

meaning you get less protected connection.

At worst, you'll get some exploitative

and malicious software in your device.

With Hola VPN and Opera VPN,

you are actually getting both.

Point is to avoid buying a fake VPN,

always do even a little bit of research

on the service you are buying.

Important thing to look for is independent audits.

Many of the best VPNs

have even gone through an external security audit

to make sure that they meet their claims.

And you can trust a service

that has stood up to this kind of test.

The fourth VPN scam is similar to the one I just covered.

It's faulty VPNs.

These VPNs do attempt to protect your privacy and security.

They're just not very good at it.

And don't try to fix it.

And often also ask money to support their inadequacy.

You'll get massive VPN problems

such as leaking of crucial data,

logging and sharing your data.

And as cherry on top,

their VPN safety features won't work as advertised.

It may seem that detecting

and not using these VPNs is easy,

but many providers have stayed in business

despite these shortcomings.

Safer VPN and Panda VPN come to mind,

both paid VPNs that have frequent DNS leaks,

as we found out by the AV comparative tests.

You can avoid these poor performers

in the same way you avoid fake VPNs.

Read the privacy policy

and reviews from trusted sites

and invest in a tried and tested service

that has been around for a while.

The fifth major VPN scam is shady VPN websites.

Some of these are cleverly designed fakes

that look identical to the original website.

They usually target the customers

of highly respected services,

such as ExpressVPN and NordVPN.

You pay for the service

thinking that you're getting a trusted advanced VPN,

but instead the site simply takes your money

and you get nothing,

or a horrible malware infection.

Shady VPN websites

also take the form of third-party websites

offering to sell you a well-known VPN directly.

These sites may ask you to enter in your bank details

or ask for personal details,

like your residential address, and phone number.

And even if they don't request private information,

they almost always take your money

without delivering on their promises.

So don't give these sites your business.

Instead, go straight to the VPN provider's website

and make your purchase there.

It's also fine to follow discount links

from trusted reviewers.

To avoid being scammed by a fake website

that looks like the original, check the URL.

It should have a host name matching an official website

down to the last letter.

Make a rule for yourself to steer clear of VPN sites

that ask for unnecessary personal details.

The sixth common VPN scam

is also claims from the VPN provider.

We've all seen this wild promises before,

but are these services really

as good as they say they are.

For example, many services that claim to be fast

are actually painfully slow in practice,

because they don't have enough servers

and they are overloaded.

Many services claim to have no leaks.

Don't really have the tech to make sure this doesn't happen.

Here's how you can check

whether a VPN lives up to its claims.

Run some speed tests.

You can use the free Ookla tool for this

or our free VPN comparison tool,

which will give you a good idea of how fast the VPN is

on practical daily basis.

Run some leak tests us well.

Ipleak.net has a great free tool for this.

If the service leaks,

it's definitely not a quality VPN.

Read the privacy policy.

Shockingly some services make claims

that directly contradict their privacy policy.

The only way to be sure that a VPN really does keep no logs

is to check what data they do collect.

Keep in mind that even top services

may collect basic information such as your email address,

cookies from when you visit their site,

and temporary timestamps of your browsing sessions.

Info like this is generally used

for the service's product development and admin.

The key is that none of the info collected

should be personally identifiable.

Finally, test some streaming platforms.

Many VPNs aren't powerful enough

to unblock streaming libraries.

So if you wanna be sure

that the service that your purchase can actually do this,

you can test that out.

The seventh major VPN scam is sham testimonials,

reviews and comments.

Some of the shadiest VPN services

have thousands of positive ratings and reviews,

but they have been paid for,

and aren't a real reflection of the user experience at all.

Some review sites even own one or more VPNs

and will attempt to sell these services

and hide their flaws in their reviews.

So do your research when you're buying a VPN,

but only on trusted sites and channels like this one.

I thoroughly research VPN services for you guys

and do my best to provide you with unbiased information.

At the end of the day,

quality of VPN protection isn't free,

and doesn't need to restore to marketing gimmicks

to boost sales.

If you've been wondering, are VPNs safe?

Use this six step checklist to test out a service.

Does it have a paid version?

Is there no lifetime subscription to be seen?

Is the website URL encrypted and legit?

Does the privacy policy

reveal that it really keeps no identifiable logs?

Do the speed and leak tests confirm the service's claims?

Does it have a tried and trusted track record,

particularly from trusted review sites?

If you ticked all these boxes,

the service is good to go.

If this video was helpful, please leave a like.

If you're looking for a trustworthy VPN,

there's a list of services that I'd recommend

down in the description.

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reviews and tutorials every week.

Thanks for watching.

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