(Newswire.net — April 30, 2013) ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — Common scams have been as numerous as they are old, and with the proliferation of the internet, they are even more worthy of caution. Some of these old scams now have new twists on them but amount to the same old thing in the end: to separate the unwary from their wallets and identities.
Here are 3 of the most common scams seen on an almost daily basis.
The Disaster Scam
These scams prey on those who are willing to give in the event of some kind of disaster, either natural or man-made. From the Haitian Earthquake to the Boston Marathon Bombing, so-called charities pop up all over the place asking you for your hard-earned dollars to supposedly help victims in need.
The question becomes, are these dollars really going to those who need help, or those who might be masquerading as a legitimate charity?
Even large restaurant chains, like McDonald’s, jumps on this bandwagon so make sure to verify who is actually getting that money before sending or donating any money to anyone, including McDonald’s.
The Phishing Scam
Phishing is a term used to describe how unscrupulous people target personal information by acting as if there had been a previous relationship with them through an official looking email.
For example, if a recent purchase was made through an internet business like Amazon, an email might be received a couple days after, that appears like it came from Amazon, saying how they need to verify the purchase for security measures and so forth.
Problem is, this email most likely did not come from Amazon. Crooks are very savvy in making their emails look and feel like they came from a trusted business source when indeed, it did not. Businesses never ask for personal information through email and without verifying if the person is indeed a customer first.
If an email ever shows up that looks suspicious, never click on any links inside of it. Simply type in the business’ web address manually in a new browser window and research if there is an issue to begin with. Chances are, there will not be an issue. If there was, the business probably would have already provided notification via telephone and then verified any personal information themselves.
The Nigerian Scam
The Nigerian scam basically plays upon people’s greed for easy money. It normally takes the form of an email which shows up, possibly official looking, some of which include some government’s seal as the letterhead, looking to transfer a large amount of money into an unsuspecting person’s bank account.
Of course, they need the person’s personal banking information to do that and therein lies what they are after. There is also usually a fee involved to transfer this money. Then, there are usually several kinds of delays reported, which will cause additional fees to be needed.
If the scammers see that someone keeps paying these fees in expectation of a large payout in the end, they will keep making up more delays for more fees. In one such reported worse-case of this fraud, a person was asked to actually fly out to Nigeria where they were then kidnapped and killed.
All of these scams are particularly dangerous to either the target’s physical welfare, financial welfare, or both. Please perform due diligence where necessary, always remain cautious, and use common sense to help stay ahead of these all too common scams.
About the Author
Mike J Anthony is a computer support engineer and internet marketer/publisher from Atlantic City, NJ. Mike J Anthony has joined the Empower Network to learn from business leaders in the online marketing field. He hopes to save himself and others from the ‘rat race’ in this competition filled world. For more information, visit http://mikejanthony.com/go/almostasecret
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