Avoid Money Scams

What kind of a person preys on emotions like love and friendship?  Scammers and swindlers do.  More than once I’ve seen a news cast where someone (usually a nice older female) found themselves caught up with someone more interested in their pocketbook than their affections.

The story is tragic, and unfortunately all too common.  A charismatic, likeable, attractive person approaches and becomes friendly.  At first there is no discussion of money.  There are no apparent hidden agendas.  Everything seems on the level.  But when it comes to financial matters, the con artist is secretive and never seems to pay his or her own bill.

There may be signs, such as hard to believe stories.  These stories may seem at first to be simply oddities in the person’s life, apparently plausible, but just a stretch.  They claim to have lived overseas or have spent time usually years in a place most people wouldn’t go.  They may claim to not have living relatives or to have few friends in the town they came from.  Perhaps their school burned down, or the hospital they were born in.

All of these signs will appear perfectly normal at first.  Only long after the money is gone do the clues add up.

The warning here is to be very, very careful with your money, especially online.  The internet has the wonderful ability to offer a voice to any person.  Anyone can say anything.  That means that the truly dishonest have a voice too.  They may appear on a blog, in a chat room, or over an online dating service.  They may tell you anything you want to hear.  They may share photos or even videos, but you don’t know the truth about the person until you meet them face to face, and even then you need to be careful.

Here are some rules to keep in mind.

• Never send money to anyone you don’t personally know.  Just because the fellow in the chat room says “I love you” doesn’t mean he won’t steal your money.
• Never give out your personal information, i.e. Social Security or Bank Account information.  No real exceptions here.  Unless you are filing a joint tax return they don’t need to know.
• Never loan money without a contract.  This can be a simple as  a getting a written I.O.U.  If you expect to be paid back, get it in writing.
• Never meet alone with someone you met online for the first time.  Go with a friend or family member.

Keep your money and life safe.  I’ve provided a link here to a tragic story of someone who was duped.

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