Avoid Money Scams

Particularly in the United States, we are accustomed to living a certain way of life.  We tend to expect that laws and rules will function in a particular way.  If we get scammed or robbed then we expect the police to be there to help us and serve us and find and punish the criminals.

Unfortunately this does not always happen.  With many of the modern scams, there are often many difficulties associated with recovering funds or finding the con artists.  In particular, if the scam is handled in another country, the number of legal difficulties increases proportionately.  Often the lost money is untraceable.  Often treaties do not exist, or they specifically prohibit certain kinds of legal activities.

In truth, if you or someone you know has become the victim of a foreign scam the odds are not good that any money will be recovered.

Why am I writing about the Nigerian Money scam?  It is one of the most famous and continuous ongoing scams of this century.

According to snopes.com it originated in the 1920’s and continues today.  In essense someone from a foreign country promises great wealth in return for a limited amount of help with their funds.  After sending the money the scammer will follow up with additional promises and try to continue to get more money until finally the victim gets wise and stops sending money.

This scam, as simple and obvious as it may seem is widely successful.  Some figures estimate that scammers are recovering millions of dollars annually with this process.  Obviously a con artist is not going to stop a con that is working.

The lesson as always is to be vigilant.  If a letter, a fax, or an email appears to be fraudulent then be careful.  Don’t send money to strangers.  Don’t believe wild promises.

Drug advertising is one of the forms of advertising that bothers me the most. I do believe that pharmaceutical companies need to build their businesses. Otherwise there would be limited funds for research and development. However I don’t know that direct advertising to the general populace is the best method.

Increasing the amount of fear about health conditions without providing an equal increase in the amount of information about the drugs, research and interactions may have an adverse effect. Increased spending on unnecessary or irrelevant medical procedures and drugs will not build the overall health of the world or ultimately benefit the economy.

Like all other products and services, be sure to do a bit of extra research in order to fully understand the implications of any medical decisions.

I’ve seen a lot of talk about the economic crisis. Everything from money being lost everywhere to an increase in the number of programs about the end of the world.

Preparing for hard times is just common sense. Running out and buying items or services in order to make things easier during difficult times is good planning. When it carries into excess, however, it can actually lead to difficult problems rather than relieve them.

If the end of the world is going to happen tomorrow, there isn’t much you can do about it. If it isn’t, then altering your life in drastic ways won’t help. Paranoia can only exacerbate an already difficult situation. A better plan would be to make necessary preparation without creating additional financial or other strains on your life.

There are literally thousands of sites on the internet where you can download all kinds of software. Knowing the warning signs of a site can save you a lot of trouble. Look for a site that has as many user reviews as possible. Steer clear of files that others have not downloaded before you. If the file is untried or untested then it could be a sign that others are avoiding it for some reason. Pay attention to any negative reviews. Owners are likely to spam positive reviews. Those who get burned will put up negative comments. Pay attention to them and to any replies. Look for owners who have a history of putting up solid content. Get files from familiar territory. Avoid illegal downloads. Often these files contain viruses, tracking software or other nasty tidbits that can make your life miserable – not to mention that it is illegal.

Is there ever at time to be dishonest?

I would be the first to suggest that a person should be as completely honest as possible.  This sometimes means disclosing some painful or awkward information at awkward times.  But usually it pays a dividend in the form of respect.  This respect can lead to better deals and to return business.

Sometimes, however, there are times to be a bit closed lipped with our personal details.  Not everyone else on the planet is honest, which means that you have to be a bit careful about who you tell all your intimate details.  Predators stalk the internet.  Scammers are always looking for a quick buck.  They target the vulnerable.

How do these people figure out who is vulnerable?  One of the ways is to find people who have been careless about their financial or personal information in the past.  They use this information to find out more about you and then they target your particular weaknesses.  So be careful.  Especially when dealing with strangers or the internet.

Junk mail comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Most of the time there is so much of it in our mailboxes that we could start a confetti factory. On the days when there isn’t much of it we rejoice.

When it comes to junk mail, most of the time there is no point even looking through it. Sometimes there may be some things to watch out for. The items to be a bit careful with are the credit card offers or other items that may contain some sensitive information. The catalogues and direct mailers can by and large be discarded without a second thought, though it can be interesting to look at the names.

Often you can figure out who sold your name by looking at the information the direct mailers use. If the use your middle initial or not or if it addressed to one of your children. Computers don’t pay attention to these details, and you can use the information to know who to avoid in the future.