Avoid Money Scams

I was doing a search the other day for information about unemployement when I came across a number of sites advertising free grant money.  Of course the government continues to spend money in ridiculous ways, up to and including giving away money to people who don’t deserve it.  However, don’t be fooled into thinking that you are just a click or two away from thousands of dollars.  What these companies are really doing is selling you a software package at a very steep price.  The prices ranged from $30 to $60 per month.  That’s right, you don’t just pay once and you’re done, but you’ll be paying month after month after month.

And will you actually qualify for and get any of these grants?  Who knows?  You might and you might not.  But a person could easily shell out $600 over the course of a year and never see a penny in return, so tread carefully.

Snap decisions are the bane of clear thinking.  Sometimes we are forced into a situation where we have to make a decision with long-lasting results in mere moments.  Sometimes even a few days is not enough to come to a clear understanding of our options or the implications of them.

What is the best way to deal with snap decisions?  Perhaps the best way is to avoid them altogether.

Very often the circumstances that lead up to making a snap decision are entirely within our control.  Making a major puchase is one such circumstance.  Going into debt for a major puchase can happen rather quickly.  Saving up for the same puchase, however, takes time.  Putting the time into putting away the cash can also give you the time to really think through the decision and come to understand what the best choice is.

Unfortunately not all scams can be so easily spotted.  Sometimes dishonest people simply get into positions of power where they can abuse that power for their own personal gain.  Associated Press business writer Marcy Gordon released a story talking about one such case.

The concern here is that this kind of fraud affects many, many people.  Many of the defrauded investors are people with significant incomes, the kind of people who employ other people.  This means that for some of us we get impacted indirectly.

The message to those who are going to invest their money is very clear.  Be absolutely sure of whomever you decide to give your money to.  There is alwasy the risk that you won’t get it back.  Prosecution is all good and well, but it doesn’t restore your pocketbook.

I don’t know if any amount of research could have uncovered the faud earlier, but it could possibly have helped.

What happened today most likely also happened yesterday, or last year, or last month.  What happened today will very likely happen again tomorrow, or next year, or in twenty years.

By paying attention to the lessons learned from just a year or two ago a person can often avoid or minimize the impact of some problems of tomorrow.  One great example of this are the fluctuations of the stock markets.  Stocks have dropped in the past.  Stocks have dropped to “historic lows” in the past.  That is why the lows are historic.  This means that we have some indication of the forces that affect the markets.

This same kind of study can be applied to nearly every aspect of life.  If you have questions about what is going to happen tomorrow, then a good place to start is to look at what happened yesterday.  If the conditions that made people act in a certain way occur again, it is a good bet that they will act that way again.

A person cannot function without doing some form of business with others.  We interact with each other all the time.  Whether we are face to face or over the internet, telephone, or just on the television, we are deciding who we will allow into our lives and how.

At some point we all come across money.  We’ll spend that money on the things we want or need.  Who we give that money to depends a great deal on our perception of the integrity of the many vendors selling the products and services we want and need.

Remember that any person using any form of media can easily represent any falsehood.  Be patient.  Do your research.  Choose to do business with the best businesses that you can find.  This will not only protect yourself, but will help to maintain the integrity of the overall economy.

The magician’s force is the art of giving someone a choice without really giving them any choices at all.  In essence it is a way of controlling the outcome of an apparently random situation.  A simple example would be to present two relatively similar choices.  “Pick a card,” for example, from two face down cards.  The magician in this case knows which is which by their location, but they appear to be random.  When the person chooses a card the magician will either say “excellent choice” and reveal the chosen card or say “excellent choice, that one will be spared” and then use the other card.

In either case the card that the magician wishes to use is chosen and used.  The person feels like they made the choice.  They feel like they have the power when in reality they do not.

This same type of mental force can be used by con artists.  If you feel like no matter what decision you make the outcome is the same then you may have already been caught.

I mentioned a few posts back about being a bit careful about the news.  I think I failed to mention just how important watching the news really is.  Or reading it online or in a newspaper.

Knowing and understanding the important issues of the day not only helps keep your mind sharp and bright, but also can help protect you.  The news is quick to issue a report on a bad guy.  They may get their facts mixed or miss a few details, but knowing what to look for can make the difference between being caught unawares and making the right choice at the right time.

As always, look with a critical eye at what is being reported, but by all means don’t ignore the world around you.  All too often the difference between trouble and smooth sailing is information.