Fraud Survival Guide
If asked to
provide sensible advice on how to protect against fraud, where would you start?
Of the countless scams now is use, which ones would you cover? Perhaps you might
use the familiar adage that says, “If it sounds too good to be true, then it
probably is.” This advice was once useful, and did in fact spare many from
falling prey to a con artist. Unfortunately for us, today’s con artists have
perfected the art of lying and make it difficult to separate fact from fiction.
So even though that special offer or deal might sound legitimate, it could
nevertheless be a scam.
To protect against modern-day scam artists you need to know the secret for
survival. Always remember that ever scam depends on your willingness to invest
confidence in what you are being told. Before investing such trust you need to
ask yourself two very important questions:
►Does
the person giving me this information have anything to gain by lying to me?
►If
this person is lying to me, how much will it affect my life?
Should the answer to either of these questions include the words, yes or a lot,
then you need to spend more time investigating both the person making the offer,
and the offer itself. This might appear overly simplistic, but it does work. Any
difficulty in using these questions will most likely occur when the person
providing the information happens to be saying what you want to hear. In such
instances seldom will you hear what is really being said until it’s too late.
Here’s a brief list of other SCAM-IN-PROGRESS warning
signs:
►You
are asked to make an immediate decision.
Con artists have a lot to hide and don’t want you to spend too much time
thinking. They know you are smart enough to spot a scam, but only if you are
allowed time to think.
►When
asking for detailed explanations concerning the offer, gift, or deal, the
subject becomes defensive or otherwise upset.
Honest people, with nothing
to hide, will welcome any chance to prove how good their particular deal or
offer is and will gladly provide you with all the specifics.
►You
suddenly become the winner of a contest that you never entered.
This one should be obvious, but for some people, who do enter numerous contests,
it can get a bit confusing. Then, too, when entering a contest, your name is
often sold to other telemarketing organizations, many of which are outright
crooks.
►You are offered a 100% guarantee
Any person who says you can't possibly lose is most certainly a lying
con artist. Investments, business ventures, medical cures, and anything
else you care to add to this list have inherent risks. Choose to believe
otherwise and be prepared to join the ranks of other scam victims.
►You
are asked to pay taxes, shipping, or handling fees on free-gifts, or contest
prizes.
If you really won something, then it should be absolutely free. Any taxes that
might have to be paid are between you and the IRS or your local tax collector.
►You
are asked to support your local police, fire, or other organization through a
donation in exchange for a monetary gift such as bumper stickers, pens, and so
on.
What you need to ask the caller is this: “Are you directly employed
by the organization, or are you a professional fund raising company?” There is
nothing wrong with many fund raising organizations, but you need to know
that many of them receive 70% or more of all the money obtained to cover
“operating expenses.” A better alternative would be to give directly to the
organization in need of the donation. In this fashion the worthy organization
will receive all of the money.
With fraud, what you see is seldom
what you get. 
