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10 Scams to Screen from Your Email From OnGuard Online  
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Tags: scams, white collar crime, crime, internet scam, spam, nigerian, bogus investments

Some email users have lost money to bogus offers that arrived as spam in their in-box. Con artists are very cunning; they know how to make their claims seem legitimate. Some spam messages ask for your business, others invite you to a website with a detailed pitch. Either way, these tips can help you avoid spam scams: Protect your personal information. Share credit card or other personal information only when you're buying from a company you know and trust. Know who you're dealing with. Don't do business with any company that won't provide its name, street address, and telephone number. Take your time. Resist any urge to “act now” despite the offer and the terms. Once you turn over your money, you may never get it back. Read the small print. Get all promises in writing and review them carefully before you make a payment or sign a contract. Never pay for a “free” gift. Disregard any offer that asks you to pay for a gift or prize. If it's free or a gift, you shouldn't have to pay for it. Free means free. Con artists are clever and cunning, constantly hatching new variations on age-old scams. Still, skeptical consumers can spot questionable or unsavory promotions in email offers. Should you receive an email that you think may be fraudulent, forward it to the FTC at spam@uce.gov, hit delete, and smile. You'll be doing your part to help put a scam artist out of work.

	.1. The “Nigerian” Email ScamThe Bait: Con artists claim to be officials, businesspeople, or the surviving spouses of former government honchos in Nigeria or another country whose money is somehow tied up for a limited time. They offer to transfer lots of money into your bank account if you will pay a fee or “taxes” to help them access their money. If you respond to the initial offer, you may receive documents that look “official.” Then they ask you to send money to cover transaction and transfer costs and attorney's fees, as well as blank letterhead, your bank account numbers, or other information. They may even encourage you to travel to Nigeria or a border country to complete the transaction. Some fraudsters have even produced trunks of dyed or stamped money to verify their claims.The Catch: The emails are from crooks trying to steal your money or perpetrate identity theft. Inevitably, emergencies come up, requiring more of your money and delaying the “transfer” of funds to your acc
	2. PhishingThe Bait: Email or pop-up messages that claim to be from a business or organization you may deal with — say, an Internet service provider (ISP), bank, online payment service, or even a government agency. The message may ask you to “update,” “validate,” or “confirm” your account information or face dire consequences.The Catch: Phishing is a scam where Internet fraudsters send spam or pop-up messages to reel in personal and financial information from unsuspecting victims. The messages direct you to a website that looks just like a legitimate organization's site. But it's a bogus site that exists simply to trick you into divulging your personal information so the operators can steal it, fake your identity, and run up bills or commit crimes in your name.Your Safety Net: Make it a policy never to respond to email or pop-up messages that ask for your personal or financial information, or click on links in the message. Don't cut and paste a link from the message into your Web brows
	3. Work-at-Home ScamsThe Bait: Advertisements that promise steady income for minimal labor — in medical claims processing, envelope-stuffing, craft assembly work, or other jobs. The ads use similar come-ons: Fast cash. Minimal work. No risk. And the advantage of working from home when it's convenient for you.The Catch: The ads don't say you may have to work many hours without pay, or pay hidden costs to place newspaper ads, make photocopies, or buy supplies, software, or equipment to do the job. Once you put in your own time and money, you're likely to find promoters who refuse to pay you, claiming that your work isn't up to their “quality standards.”Your Safety Net: The FTC has yet to find anyone who has gotten rich stuffing envelopes or assembling magnets at home. Legitimate work-at-home business promoters should tell you — in writing — exactly what's involved in the program they're selling. Before you commit any money, find out what tasks you will have to perform, whether you will b
	4. Weight Loss ClaimsThe Bait: Emails promising a revolutionary pill, patch, cream, or other product that will result in weight loss without diet or exercise. Some products claim to block the absorption of fat, carbs, or calories; others guarantee permanent weight loss; still others suggest you'll lose lots of weight at lightening speed.The Catch: These are gimmicks, playing on your sense of hopefulness. There's nothing available through email you can wear or apply to your skin that can cause permanent — or even significant weight loss.Your Safety Net: Experts agree that the best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories and increase your physical activity so you burn more energy. A reasonable goal is to lose about a pound a week. For most people, that means cutting about 500 calories a day from your diet, eating a variety of nutritious foods, and exercising regularly. Permanent weight loss happens with permanent lifestyle changes. Talk to your health care provider about a nutrition
	5. Foreign LotteriesThe Bait: Emails boasting enticing odds in foreign lotteries. You may even get a message claiming you've already won! You just have to pay to get your prize or collect your winnings.The Catch: Most promotions for foreign lotteries are phony. Participating in a foreign lottery violates U.S. law. The scammers will keep any money you send for “taxes” or fees. In addition, lottery hustlers use victims' bank account numbers to make unauthorized withdrawals or their credit card numbers to run up additional charges.Your Safety Net: Skip these offers. Don't send money now on the promise of a pay-off later.Forward solicitations for foreign lottery promotions to spam@uce.gov.
	6. Cure-All ProductsThe Bait: Emails claiming that a product is a “miracle cure,” a “scientific breakthrough,” an “ancient remedy” — or a quick and effective cure for a wide variety of ailments or diseases. They generally announce limited availability, and require payment in advance, and offer a no-risk “money-back guarantee.” Case histories or testimonials by consumers or doctors claiming amazing results are not uncommon.The Catch: There is no product or dietary supplement available via email that can make good on its claims to shrink tumors, cure insomnia, cure impotency, treat Alzheimer's disease, and prevent severe memory loss. These kinds of claims deal with the treatment of diseases; companies that want to make claims like these must follow the FDA's pre-market testing and review process required for new drugs.Your Safety Net: When evaluating health-related claims, be skeptical. Consult a health care professional before buying any “cure-all” that claims to treat a wide range of a
	7. Check Overpayment ScamsThe Bait: A response to your ad or online auction posting, offering to pay with a cashier's, personal, or corporate check. At the last minute, the so-called buyer (or the buyer's “agent”) comes up with a reason for writing the check for more than the purchase price, and asks you to wire back the difference after you deposit the check.The Catch: If you deposit the check, you lose. Typically, the checks are counterfeit, but they're good enough to fool unsuspecting bank tellers; when they bounce, you are liable for the entire amount.Your Safety Net: Don't accept a check for more than your selling price, no matter how tempting the plea or convincing the story. Ask the buyer to write the check for the purchase price. If the buyer sends the incorrect amount, return the check. Don't send the merchandise. As a seller who accepts payment by check, you may ask for a check drawn on a local bank, or a bank with a local branch. That way, you can visit personally to make su
	8. Pay-in-Advance Credit Offer The Bait: News that you've been “pre-qualified” to get a low-interest loan or credit card, or repair your bad credit even though banks have turned you down. But to take advantage of the offer, you have to ante up a processing fee of several hundred dollars.The Catch: A legitimate pre-qualified offer means you've been selected to apply. You still have to complete an application and you can still be turned down. If you paid a fee in advance for the promise of a loan or credit card, you've been hustled. There may be a list of lenders, but there's no loan, and the person you've paid has taken your money and run.Your Safety Net: Don't pay for a promise. Legitimate lenders never “guarantee” a card or loan before you apply. They may require that you pay application, appraisal, or credit report fees, but these fees seldom are required before the lender is identified and the application is completed. In addition, the fees generally are paid to the lender, not to t
	9. Debt ReliefThe Bait: Emails touting a way you can consolidate your bills into one monthly payment without borrowing; stop credit harassment, foreclosures, repossessions, tax levies and garnishments; or wipe out your debts.The Catch: These offers often involve bankruptcy proceedings, but rarely say so. While bankruptcy is one way to deal with serious financial problems, it's generally considered the option of last resort. The reason: it has a long-term negative impact on your creditworthiness. A bankruptcy stays on your credit report for 10 years, and can hinder your ability to get credit, a job, insurance, or even a place to live. To top it off, you will likely be responsible for attorneys' fees for bankruptcy proceedings.Your Safety Net: Read between the lines when looking at these emails. Before resorting to bankruptcy, talk with your creditors about arranging a modified payment plan, contact a credit counseling service to help you develop a debt repayment plan, or carefully consi
	10. Investment SchemesThe Bait: Emails touting “investments” that promise high rates of return with little or no risk. One version seeks investors to help form an offshore bank. Others are vague about the nature of the investment, and stress the rates of return. Promoters hype their high-level financial connections; the fact that they're privy to inside information; that they'll guarantee the investment; or that they'll buy it back. To close the deal, they often serve up phony statistics, misrepresent the significance of a current event, or stress the unique quality of their offering.The Catch: Many unsolicited schemes are a good investment for the promoters, but not for participants. Promoters of fraudulent investments operate a particular scam for a short time, close down before they can be detected, and quickly spend the money they take in. Often, they reopen under another name, selling another investment scam.Your Safety Net: Take your time in evaluating the legitimacy of an offer:

Lister: TrailerGuyBob
Source: OnGuardonline

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