Don’t Let Others Ruin Your Holidays

Jan. 4, 2011 - PRLog -- Unfortunately, it is also a playground for scammers looking to rip off innocent people like you.
As an Internet user, it’s important that you know how you can get hurt. After all, these scammers are out for your hard-earned money. Furthermore, a lot of them are quite believable and, as criminal opportunists, have become quite successful taking advantage of their prey.
One of the ways these scammers can get you is by offering job opportunities on various web sites like Craigslist. They’ll post a work-from-home opportunity, and likely schedule a meeting with you. Because of the slow job market these days, these advertisements often attract all kinds of people.
The scammer will give — or send –you a check that will clear in a couple of days after you receive it. It’s supposed to be for your working supplies. A few days later, however, you’ll be hit with some news. First, the scammer will contact you to tell you that an emergency situation has arisen, and they will no longer need your assistance. They’ll tell you to keep a bit of the money, but send back the rest. Then, likely a few days later, you’ll learn that the check has in fact bounced and you’ll be left with fees to pay.
To avoid this, be wary of potential employers on Craigslist who are eager to hand over a check. Ask for credentials before getting involved.
Another scam — also executed through sites like Craigslist — is attached to merchandise sales. Scammers will post items at ridiculously low prices that at first sight look too good to be true. They then explain why the price is so low. For example, let’s say they were concert tickets. They’ll say that the reason the price is so low is because they were a gift and, because of a scheduling conflict, they simply can’t make the event and want to get rid of the tickets.
It sounds okay, and if the proper payment safeguards are in place — perhaps PayPal — is seems like it could check out. They say they’ll send you the tickets and, when a confirmation of receipt is sent, you wire the money. However, these confirmations they send via e-mail are often phony and, before you know it, you’ve already sent the cash.
To avoid this, there are a few things you can do. The first is to remember that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Next, if you do decide to roll the dice — which we recommend against — wait until you’re actually holding the item you’ve ordered. If you’ve got it and you’re happy, send the money. Truth is, this will likely never happen. Finally, when doing business over Craigslist, try to do business with local dealers who you can actually meet and do a face-to-face exchange with. This way you can get the goods and inspect them when you hand over the cash.
Be careful, there are countless of scammers out there who are looking to take advantage of you. It doesn’t matter what time of year or what the economic conditions are. In my next article, I’ll examine some specific scams to look out for this holiday season.
To read more from e-Wealth Daily Bulletin, click here: http://www.ewealthdaily.com/ads/ewdart/

# # #

Since 2003, the e-Wealth Daily Bulletin free e-letter have been showing regular people like you the easiest and most useful ways to make quick money and become rich for life…