Advice On Avoiding Scams

by JohnG

posted on 07/09/2009

Today's economy has made it easier than ever for dishonest people to try to scam honest and hardworking individuals. When times are tough and money is tight, those who are down on their luck will grasp at offers ranging from "get rich quick" schemes to "work at home" jobs, thinking that they sound perfectly legitimate. Unfortunately, scammers are getting more creative and they are the only ones getting rich.

Here are some of the top scams that are circulating today. If you get e-mail offers from anything sounding like theses, use your "delete" key … repeatedly!

Foreclosure Scams
If someone who tells you they will help you avoid foreclosure approaches you, run like the dickens! In this scheme, you are duped into signing over the deed to your house to someone who will now own it - but you will still owe money to your lender. Never, never, never sign over any of your property to someone else without legal advice that you have hired!

Work at Home Scams
Although there are legitimate opportunities for people who want to work from their homes, most solicitations are nothing more than ways to suck money from you upfront without any viable jobs being available. Any job solicitations that ask you to send money up front should be avoided. Even if it is only $1, imagine how much money is raked in when thousands of people send in their $1? This year, the biggest scams are those that claim they are looking for mystery shoppers.

Free Trials
Companies that advertise free trials can be very sneaky. Yes, you'll get a free trial, but unless you cancel the free trial by the end of the trial period, your credit card will be charged and you will be stuck! Always read the fine print! Also know that sometimes when you try to cancel the "free trial," the phone number is always busy so you can't get through. Alternatively, the e-mail address is invalid. Or your message goes unanswered. So at the end of the trial period, despite your efforts to cancel, you end up with a large charge on your bill until the end of the contract.

Fake Lotteries
In this scam, you would receive a letter, along with a check, saying you've won a lottery (usually someplace in a third-world country). The instructions tell you to cash the check and remit part of it back to the payer, for "taxes and fees." Well, the check is going to be phony and if you fall for this scam, you'll also be out the money you sent to the scammers, plus a hefty surcharge from your bank for trying to deposit a bad check.

These are just a few of the scams that are circulating right now. Remember these few words of advice: If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

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jtrombetti says:

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