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.

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