How to avoid being scammed
July 20th, 2007, 8:05 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Aaron
I’ve read the advice before and now even written some of my own, but I know I will be a victim of some sort of e-mail scam in the not too distant future.
Why?
Because I am too curious.
I love getting those e-mails — the ones where I’ve won 3.2 million Euros in the Hungarian lottery or some rich oil tycoon in Yemen recently died and left me his fortune — I love them. It is fun to see the tricks scammers play to get us to believe them. The wording they use, the desperation they can portray and the trust they can solicit.
For a moment, I allow myself to believe I really am a millionaire and then investigate further. I like to click on links to see where they take me. I like to open attachments to see what’s inside. I like to … I am sure this is making our IT person at the paper sick.
Because I am so curious as to how these scams work, I will most likely fall victim to one myself.
Here are a few examples of well-intentioned people falling victim to scams from the U.S. Postal Service and FBI Web site, www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com.
I went to jail for a scam that I innocently fell into!! My husband and I had recently went to a company party that was held at a nearby casino. While we were there we signed up for give-a-ways. Everything from trips to jackpots for money. When we returned home we didn’t think anything of it again.
Three weeks after our trip, I received a letter in the mail with a $2,900.00 check. It stated that I had won a jackpot. I called the number on the letter and also called the bank that the check was written from. Everything checked out fine. We had never won anything before and I just assumed that my “weird” feeling was from not knowing what to expect when you win. I went to a cashing agent a couple of days later. I had got off work too late to go by my bank.
While I was waiting to have the check cashed, the agent had called the police! Within ten minutes I was handcuffed and lying on the floor. I went to jail and spent the night. Agents from Florida were there 6 hours later to interview me. I was an emotional mess! I have 2 little girls and a husband at home that was scared also. I was not granted a bond until the police investigated the check and my story. Thank God they believed my story and realized that I was an innocent bystander. I was released the following afternoon. I might not have lost any money, but I lived in hell for 48 hours. Beware! I hope no one has to go thru what I did.
Puppy scams. People steal photos from websites. Even photos now with watermark. Send them by email to buyers inquiring through a scam ad they have placed online and in the newspapers. They email these stolen photos and in return ask the buyer to wire the money to get the puppy shipped to them. They are luring people in by asking a minimal amount compared to the usual prices of the breeds. Of course there is no puppy and no recourse from a buyer sending money this way! I bet hundreds of thousands to millions have been scammed by this! I get contacted monthly from buyers who have been scammed or contact me because photos were stolen from my website and sent to them by these scammers.
— Aaron Aupperlee | Staff writer
