how to recognise a scam

there are hundreds of types of scams-fake lotteries and prize draws, incredible schemes to make money quickly, fake investment plans, work from home schemes- the list goes on and on.

Step 1: The con

how scam artists succeed- they will

catch you unaware
sound pleasant,well spoken and kind
have slick ,professional leaflets and letters
be over persuasive
rush you into decisions
ask you to send money before you receive their tempting offer or win

Comments

[gschoppe]

This doesn't apply to a new scam I've come across recently. In fact, this new one is the most dastardly scam I've ever seen... you receive a mailing, telling you that you've won a random drawing that was taken, without any entry necessary, from all the members of your phone directory (or gmail, or yahoo, or others). The ad appears to be a massive prize that is given unexpectedly by a new corporation, purely for the press/advertising it will generate. The letter tells you that ALL tariffs and transfer fees will be paid by the company, and does not ask for anything but your prompt reply. after your reply, you receive a second letter, containing a check for ~2,000 US Dollars, with instructions. According to these instructions, the transfer fees have to come out of Your account, otherwise, the FCC/FBI/CDC/FDA/PETA/TLA (Three Letter Acronym) will not allow the transfer. You deposit the check, and see a healthy $2,000 increase in your account balance.... you then either transfer $2,000 to an account you are given, or fax a check to them and they'll "take care of it". the $2,000 is transferred out of your account, and you're all ready to get your winnings, when suddenly you find yourself overdrawn... it turns out that you deposited a fraudulent check, so you lose that $2000 dollars... that you already transferred out. You are subsequently down $2000 dollars. if you don't change accounts at that point, you find the remainder of your account gone within weeks, based on the personal info you gave them. as I said... dastardly.

[geodez]

That is why they invented these.

[Derin]

why don't those people just get a life and earn money legally.....

[AlternateLives]

Well, if they did, then there wouldn't be a need for internet policemen, and then they would end up unemployed. I guess the balance is for the best.

[Pumpkin$]

wow sounds like something my friend "bloodmuthr" do lol he has'nt gotten me yet XD did u ever recover that 2000 dollars?

[gschoppe]

luckily, I wasn't fooled... I google key phases in any letter that "might" be a scam, but a friend of mine got right to the point of making out the check to the scammer before I found out... two weeks later, the $2000 disappeared

[awkrin]

that's really smart. I still don't understand how come so many people buy online carelessly or from insecure sources. there are also some very good "actors" that trick into thinking that they are some kind of refuges, they need to go to a safer place and only then they will be able to access their family's great fortune and give u a share. my parents fell for this and the spammers have 1000 euro

[Foaly7]

Okay. This is supposed to help people from being scammed. But a smart con artist can read this and figure out how to run a scam without making someone suspicious.

[xACIDITYx]

Did you just... Scan the pictures of a book? Like I've said before... Proper capitalization and grammar.

[davidturner666]

The best way to spot a scam is: if it sounds too good to be true- it is.

[PKM]

Normally this would probably incur a "this is someone else's work" rant, but as the "someone else" in this case is the OFT (Office of Fair Trading), they probably won't be personally offended. It's a good public awareness campaign, but it doesn't look like you've added much to it yourself to make this a complete Instructable. A slideshow might be better...?

[nbz_m_g]

possible thanks for the idea