How to Avoid a Scam

In today’s economy, saving money is more important than ever before. Scam artists are also more in force than ever before. There has to be a hundred scams out there trying to tempt your money out of your hands and into a criminal’s. Despite warnings, thousands of people out there are getting scammed and losing money every day. Don’t let that be you. Here are some things to remember:

If it sounds too good to be true, it is!

It’s a great deal, all you have to do is give up some of your personal information and you can make bookoo bucks. You’ll be rich for literally no effort at all. To bad that’s a total lie. There are other sayings that fit with this too, like ‘you can’t get something for nothing’; and that much is absolutely true. The most famous of these schemes are the email check cashing or fund transfer scams. All the crooks really want is access to your bank account. When you cash their check and send them funds back, the check bounces and you get left holding the charges. The rule around this is simple. Never ever do fund transfers or accept outlandish amounts of money for small purchases. If the person can’t go to the bank themselves, it’s a scam. Don’t fall for it! Certainly never agree to meet these people in person. They are dangerous people and you can get seriously hurt or killed.

There is no free money.

There are tons of offers on the internet and television offering you grant packages with access to fantastic amounts of free money. The commercials are very savvy and even have supposed testimonials of people who have taken advantage of these grants. The truth is that all of those testimonials are dead false. They are given by actors who are paid to say that they are rich now because of these grants. These programs sell grant packages that will supposedly show you all about applying for a grant and loading up on all that free money. They charge and average of fifty dollars for these ridiculous packages. The truth of the matter is that, while the grants are real, the average person doesn’t qualify for them. If you really want to see these books of grant information, you can get Matthew Lesko’s famous books at your public library or you can go to usgrants.gov and read them at your leisure. Going to the site is free and run by the government. Naturally, going to the library won’t cost you much either. Your best course of action? Keep your fifty bucks in your pocket. Don’t try to get a grant unless you qualify for one.

You get what you pay for, and you can’t have your money back.

They’re on television infomercials and we’ve all seen them. Amazing products that defy reality and do amazing things above and beyond what is realistic or true. A knife that cuts through tin cans or a hanger that can hold up amazing weights. Not only are the companies that sell these items unreputable, but irresponsible and unresponsive if you have any problems with their products. When you get these products, it doesn’t take long to find out that you’ve been scammed. The internet and the Better Business Bureau are loaded with negative reviews and complaints. Before you buy anything from the ‘as seen on tv’ venue, you should investigate them. Type in the name of the product in your search engine followed by the word ‘review’. You may save yourself some money. The very worst of these are the ones that claim you only have to make a number of easy payments. What they don’t tell you is that they will take all of these payments at the same time. You expect one payment a month, but they take all three or two at once. The result is an overdrawn account that costs you big fees at the bank. Don’t forget the ‘it’s free with shipping and handling’ scam either. Quick tip, any money out of pocket for you means it’s not free.

Work from home and you’ll get rich

The work from home scam is another nasty scam that can leave you penniless. Many of these scams require you to buy a kit or some product so that you can sell it on your own. They might even offer you a class or lesson in selling their product so that you’ll be a ‘pro’.  Another quick tip, a job is supposed to pay you, not the other way around. Also, never work for a multi level marketing scheme. Most of them are illegal, though they will deny it. Watch out for this key phrase: “all you have to do is”, is the key to these employment scams. There are reputable work from home companies out there, but you need to do some investigation. Contact the Better Business Bureau or the Federal Trade Comission and check up on these companies to see what is listed on them. You will likely be surprised. Check for reviews on them too, but not reviews done by another company, reviews by people.

Scams prey on the desperation of others. Whether it’s money, losing weight, or fantastic products, you can bet that nothing is sacred to these scam artists. Always be skeptical and demand proof that’s more than just flapping lips and words on a screen. Investigate and seek out reviews before you pay one red cent.  If you still want to shell out your money, don’t say no one warned you about dangerous scams. People will certainly do anything to get your money in their pockets. Finally, never give out your personal information to anyone over the phone, or in person at times. Don’t put your bank account and social security number on the internet or where scammers can get their hands on them.  Be vigilant in these rules, and you can keep your money to yourself.