Something that seems too good to be true comes in the mail, email, or even by fax.. I received what appeared to be a legitimate cashier’s check. I took it to the bank and the banker said, it’s a scam. If you ask yourself if it’s too good to be true, it’s not true. Promises of a million sales leads or TV appearances should prompt you to ask questions, and search the web. Get-rich-quick schemes are many, and people seeking extra income should be wary of them.
There was even a book written, Biz Op: How to Get Rich with Business Opportunity Frauds and Scams by Bruce Easly to tell people how to create their own biz opportunity scams.
The unfortunate targets of con artists are called “mooches.” “Singers” give fake testimonials when a “mooch” tries to check up on business references provided by the seller of the scam.
Senior citizens have preferred targets of scam artists who target their lifestyle. Common scams are Medicare/health insurance scams, funeral & cemetery scams, fraudulent anti-aging products, telemarketing/phone scams, Internet fraud, investment schemes, reverse mortgage scams, sweepstakes & lottery scams, grandparent scams.
Elderly victims often do not report crimes making them, attractive victims of scamsters pretending to be a grandchild in trouble of some kind – an auto accident, being in jail, or legal trouble. Victims sent cash amounting to $41 million dollars last year, sending it via US Mail, Fed Ex or UPS. This crime is in rapidly increasing. Personal information about the grandchild is gleaned from social media postings.
Before sending any money, no matter how convincing the scam artist may be, check out whether the story is true, and if not, report to the Federal Trade Commission, the postal inspector, or the carrier you are told to use.
Small businesses are vulnerable to this scam. Scammers send emails pretending to be a someone entitled to the information. This phony request the asks for a list of employees and their W-2 statements. With this personal and financial information, thieves perform identity theft.
Here are some things to keep in mind.
- Con artists force you to make decisions fast and may threaten you.
- Scammers disguise their real phone numbers, using fake caller IDs.
- Fraudsters sometimes pretend to be a government agency, such as the IRS.
- Con artists try to get you to give them personal information, like your Social Security number or account numbers.
- Remember to before giving out your credit card number or money, ask a friend or family member for advice about the situation.
- Beware of offers of free travel.
Dishonest people tamper with the web in order to pull off scams. Watch out for malicious links that seem to lead to legitimate sites, but instead automatically redirects victims to a phishing page. They design malicious pages with URLs that look similar to real ones, hoping victims won’t notice that they’re on G00gle rather than Google.
If you are a victim of identity theft, you can turn to the Identity Theft Resource Center for advice and information. You can reach them on the web or by phone (1-888-400-5530) or download the app. It also you allows you to chat with a specialist.
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