10 Ways to Protect Yourself from Online ScammersScammers are everywhere online and off. You will find their stint in the classifieds, on all auctions, e-stores, merchants such as Paypal, your email and anywhere else they perceive as avenues for swindling money from you. Many people have been scammed and are living the painful consequences. Some people fall prey to scams because of their own greed, some because of their desperate circumstances and others because of ignorance. But whatever the reason, pain is pain. Below I will delineate some clear and definite ways you can protect yourself from being scammed and identify the primary clues to recognizing scammer activity. I have also listed some resources that you may find helpful. 1) Don’t be greedy. You are not going to get something for nothing. If it sounds too good to be true…it is NOT true. Any correspondence you receive that even hint at your getting more than expected or bargained for is a clear red alert. Keep in mind that an online business is just that: a business. Any transaction that is not in keeping with common ethical business practices is not to be engaged in. 2) Be sure your buyer or seller is VERIFIED. Paypal, pppay and others are set up to protect us against scammers but only if we follow their guidelines. 3) Scammers are notorious for wanting to pay via THEIR method and have items shipped THEIR way. Do not waste your time. 4) Scammers have cleverly designed email correspondence to resemble paypal and actual banking institutions as well. BEWARE!! If you conduct transactions through paypal, get acquainted with their method of doing business. For example, when they send you an email it will always have the accounts name on it. Scammers do not know your account name and therefore uses terms such as “customer.” Their phony email will inform you that your account is in jeopardy and will encourage you to click on a link contained in the email to be taken to your account where you can make necessary adjustments. DO NOT DO IT!!! This is scamming activity. If you are unsure, go to your account via paypal.com; never click the link in the email. This goes for ALL accounts. In other words, never respond to an email requesting account or credit card information. This is called “phishing.” No reputable business will request this information via email. The following is an example of one I received recently. Dear valued PayPal member: 5) Any correspondence that includes “Africa” usually Nigeria, should be avoided. 6) Do not get sucked in the religious jargon many scammers are using these days. It is a trick to get you to trust them enough to engage in their nefarious scam. 7) Notice the language of the email or correspondence. Most scammers write with improper grammar and misspelled words and often the sentence structure is difficult to follow. Did you notice unprofessionalism quality of the paypal memo? 8) Read about the Nigerian 419 Letter. http://www.fraudwatchinternational.com/internet/nigerian419.shtml 9) Trust your instincts!! 10) Be cautious when conducting business with countries known for high fraud activities: Romania, Indonesia, Singapore, Ghana (a rising star of fraud!), Ukraine , Uganda, Nigeria, Hungary, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovak Republic, Russia, Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Phillipines, Thailand, Malaysia. Additional Online Fraud Resources Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org )  |
