Kahzam, a relatively new search engine, was designed with multiple security purposes in mind… one of which is to fight against the practice of click-fraud which plagues the internet marketing world.
The vast majority of scammers, both offline and online, are targeting one segment of our population; our elders. There are reasons that scams involving older people are effective and sometimes unreported, but there is a simple way to keep this from happening.
One of the main reasons that senior citizens are more at risk than their children is that they for the most part come from a more trusting time and background. A time when you didn’t have to be suspicious of everyone around you. It comes as no surprise that people who are more trusting of strangers are more taken advantage of.
Another reason seniors can be targetted far easier is that they often don’t want to feel like they are being a burden to their children so they seek help from someone who, unknown to them, does not have their best interests at heart. A potential victim of a scam may answer an unscrupulous advertisement for handy work around the house because they feel they’ve already asked too much of their adult children when it comes to helping take care of their home.
Then there is the embarassment factor that happens when someone realizes they have been scammed. Thieves are getting better at their “jobs” and are coming up with more elaborate and deceptive ways at separating people from their money. There is no shame in getting scammed, only shame in not doing something about it. Older people often have a hard time admitting to their children that they were the victims of a scam. They feel it will make them look less intelligent or wise in their kids’ eyes. This misplaced pride can often times result in nothing being done to either apprehend the scammer or to get the word out and protect others from being scammed.
The solution to this problem is communication. Older people need to be informed that they are a target and to approach most financial situations with a cautious eye on the person or company they are dealing with. Adult children need to stay involved in their parents’ lives and let them know that its okay to seek their advice or check something out with them. Don’t let pride or fear of embarassment be the crook’s best friend.
An interesting point in this article covering yet another example of the lottery scam is this; if someone has been scammed this does not remove them from being a target but, in fact, makes them more of a target to future scammers.
Some opportunists prey on people who have been scammed by keying in on their anger or need for revenge against the scammer. They will purport themselves to be from the government, financial institutions, or a third party business experienced in getting your money back. In fact, they are wanting you to give them more money under the false pretense that they will use it to get back money that was previously stolen from you. Always check out anyone who contacts you regarding getting your money back with the Better Business Bureau or the appropriate government agency.
Don’t Get Scammed
Mark
We’ve just posted on the main site a new article on the Ins And Outs Of A Pyramid Scheme. A lot of times online business offerings that appear to be legitimate end up being cleverly disguised pyramid schemes… know the difference.
Don’t get scammed
Mark
About halfway down in this news story there is a tale of an attempted IRS scam that was sniffed out by this potential victim.
Don’t get scammed
Mark
One of the best ways to assure you don’t get scammed is by dealing with reputable companies and/or people. There are many ways to track a company’s track record of customer satisfaction.
When considering being a buyer in an online auction format, consider the following. Ebay, the Internet’s largest and most successful auction site, and other auction sites have all gone to some sort of a feedback system where previous customers can file positive or negative feedback regarding their transaction with a seller. When you, as the buyer, want to investigate a seller you simply access their feedback and see what previous customers’ experiences have been with that seller. Don’t always expect 100% or perfect positive feedback. There are many times
where a seller has done their best to satisfy an overly picky buyer. I’ve seen buyer’s leave poor feedback because they didn’t like the movie they bought, now this is hardly the seller’s fault. That being said, a responsible seller will have a feedback in the high 90%’s. Also, some feedback reporting systems will give you a breakdown of a seller’s feedback by month. A seller may have 98% positive feedback, but if all the negative feedback has come in the past month then you may want to think twice about doing business with them. There have also been reported cases where a seller will perform reliably for a month or two until their feedback looks really good, then they will use that positive feedback to provide a false sense of security to customers and sell more expensive items that they have no intention of shipping. Feedback is an important part of the security of doing business on Internet auction sites, but it is not the only part we still need to always be on the lookout for something that just doesn’t look right.
The same is true regarding the Better Business Bureau. Operators of fraudulent businesses open and close so fast that the absence of active complaints against a business is no true indicator of that business being legitimate. Someone can open a business, commit fraud, and close down before complaint one ever reaches the BBB or the authorities.
When it comes to buying something online or off, remember the old saying, if it looks too good to be true it probably is.