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"I've been busy with my new hand-crafted jewelry site, CrystalsandJewelry.com.
If you like jewelry and crystals check out the new site at http://CrystalsandJewelry.com.
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Article: How to Spot a Scam a Mile Off
by Elena Fawkner
Received the following forwarded email from a subscriber this morning:
"I am an Executive Director with the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) and a member of the Contract Advisory Committee
(CAC). I am seeking your assistance to enable me transfer the sum
of $26,500,000 (Twenty Six Million, Five hundred Thousand United
States Dollars) into your private/company account."
Carole told me she has received "3 or 4 of these in the last
week, I think from different people. I deleted the others. It makes
me nervous. Sounds like a dangerous scam."
That's exactly what it is, of course. Maybe you're reading this
thinking I can't believe people are still falling for the Nigeria
scam after all this time". On the other hand, maybe you're
reading this thinking, "Wow, I might have responded to that.
How am I supposed to know what's a scam and what's real?"
The reality is that there are hundreds of thousands of people coming
online, for the first time, each year. Many of these people have
simply not been exposed to scams like the ones that are constantly
touted on the Internet before. Many of these people come online
to try and find a way to make money with their computers and/or
they're looking for ideas for making money from home.
The fact that they may not recognize scams off the bat doesn't
mean they're naive or stupid, it just means that they haven't been
in an environment where this sort of stuff came their way before
now. And don't the scammers know it.
Like vultures circling overhead, they await their prey. They know
they have only a narrow window of opportunity because it doesn't
take newbies long to catch on so they have to be quick about it.
And how do they do that? They hang out where newbies hang out so
they can get them while they're still young and fresh and vulnerable.
They're nothing but predators looking to pick off the
easiest game. Wouldn't want to have to engage in any real work,
after all. In this article we look at several main scams and how
to recognize them.
Nigerian Advance Fee Scheme
The gist of this worldwide scheme is that small to medium-size businesses
receive a letter from someone who purports to be an official of
the Nigerian government or major utility or similar who needs to
transfer some huge amount of money out of the country. The money
typically is an overpayment by the government on a procurement contract.
The object of the exercise is to get you to provide your bank account
details (for the purpose of wire transferring the money of course).
Surprise surprise, there's a transfer all right but not INTO your
account!
The FTC "Dirty Dozen"
These are the top 12 scams that have been identified by the (U.S.)
Federal Trade Commission as the most likely to arrive via email:
1. Business Opportunities - often pyramid schemes (see below) thinly
disguised as legitimate opportunities to earn money. What to look
for: high returns with little or no effort or cash outlay required.
2. Bulk Email - offers of lists of thousands of email addresses
all of whom, of course, are just dying to receive your marketing
message. What to look for: "Bulk Email Works! 10,000 addresses
for $9.99."
3. Chain Letters - send $5 to the next name on the list then cross
the bottom name off the list, replace it with your own, then forward
the letter to 500 of your nearest and dearest. What to look for:
A jail cell. This is a pyramid scheme and is illegal. The letter
goes to great pains to say that it is not illegal.
4. Envelope Stuffing - think you're going to be paid for stuffing
envelopes? Think again. You get a kit that you can turn around to
recruit others to an envelope stuffing scam of your very own! Watch
out for craft assembly work as well. You'll probably find all of
your hard work is not up to their exacting "quality standards"
and therefore you won't get paid for your work.
5. Health and Diet Scams - magic pills that eradicate the need to
eat fewer calories than you expend in order to lose weight. They
don't work.
6. Effortless Income - no such thing. As the FTC says, if they worked,
everyone would be doing it.
7. Free Goods - you're told you'll get a free computer. You have
to pay a fee to join a club and then told you have to recruit other
members. You get paid in computers. They're nothing but pyramid
schemes.
8. Investment Opportunities - look for outrageously high rates of
return with no risk.
9. Cable Descrambler Kits - they probably won't work and even if
they do, you're stealing a service from a cable company and committing
a crime.
10. Guaranteed Loans or Credit - pay a fee and you're given a list
of lenders, all of whom turn you down. Credit cards never arrive.
11. Credit Repair - no matter how bad your credit, pay these people
and they'll fix it. They generally just advise you how to lie on
future credit applications - how to commit fraud in other words.
12. Vacation Prize Promotions - your accommodations will be so bad
you'll want to pay for an upgrade. You'll probably have to pay to
schedule a vacation at the time you want as well.
Pyramid Schemes
Make money by recruiting members into the program without giving
anything of equal value in exchange for membership fees. Contrast
MLM (multi-level marketing schemes). These are not pyramid schemes
because they involve the sale of products and services in return
for membership.
Medical Billing
Prepackaged businesses requiring an investment of $2,000 to $8,000.
Few people who purchase one of these "businesses"
are able to find clients, start a business and generate revenues.
Competition in this area is fierce and concentrated around a few
big, well-entrenched firms.
Your In Box
Finally, go to your in-box now. You'll find no end of scams sitting
right there. Here's one that just arrived in mine ...
"Subject: How to make $1,000,000 in 20 weeks selling to Newcomers
on the Net"
Like all the rest, it gets the one-finger salute - index finger
to the delete key. Works beautifully every time.
Where to go for more information on internet scams:
FTC Website http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/consumer.htm
Scambusters http://www.scambusters.org
Netscams http://www.netscams.com/frameset.html
Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/,
your source of FREEWare Content online.
Elena Fawkner is editor of A Home-Based Business Online ... practical
home business ideas for the work-from-home entrepreneur. Visit http://www.ahbbo.com
Fun Stuff:
Test
Your ESP http://www.spacemagic.com/cards/guidelines.html
Quote:
"Things do not change, we change."
- Henry David Thoreau
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