The Scam Alert Blog

You can bet scammers every where are trying to come up with new ways to trick you out of what is being called your “government rebate” check. The government is sending out $300 to $600 per person and there is a good chance that at some point you will be contacted shortly by a disreputable person in need of money or trying to sell you something. Stay alert and be skeptical of anyone during this time or any time when it is known that you are receiving funds (inheritance, tax return, etc.). Stay vigilant and don’t let the scammers win.

Most people will take this word of advice and apply it to the online world:

“Beware When You Buy Autographs”

But, sadly this also applies to offline as well. Autographs are a relatively easy thing to fake. Many are very hard to double check and if they slightly resemble an authenticated one, the person who bought it usually “wants” it to be real so bad that they talk themselves into believing it is. Some people put a lot of trust in so called “certificates of authentication”, but if a person is dishonest enough to sell a fake autograph, then they wouldn’t really stop at including a fake certificate of authentication. Be very careful when buying autographs. Only buy from reputable sources, and even then double check the authenticity as best you can.

See one person “brag” about selling fake autographs. This postcard was sent in and included in the recent secrets displayed on Post Secret.

Most people are familiar with the lottery scam. The way it usually works is that you get notified of a mysterious lotter win, usually from outside the country. You are then asked to pay a processing fee so that the prize money can be either converted to a different currency or transfered from a foreign bank. Of course your money going out is real, but the money promised in the lottery is not. Here is a personal experience story regarding someone who has fallen victim to this scam.

Take a look at this article detailing how scammers are posing as members of the military selling their belongings. Scammers try anything to gain the trust of their potential victims. Most people in the public feel that most members of the military are honest and trustworthy, therefore they tend to let their guard down when it comes to dealing with them. Scammers know this and try to take advantage of it. Don’t fall victim to this type of scam.

Online and offline scams are in the news all the time, but what are the top 4 scams used during 2007. The FBI knows, now you know too. If you are vigilant and use common sense you should be able to avoid most scams, always stay on guard.

Here’s a look about a scam that didn’t take place online. A woman claimed that she was raped and as happens in communities from time to time an account was established in her name to handle donations to help her out. Well, it later came out that the claim was false. Now, what to do with these donations? The bank that is holding the account has decided to offer the donations back to those that made them. Acts like this hinder other women who have been legitimately raped and also hinder future donors who may think twice because they don’t want to be lied to like these donors were.

PC World recently released it’s Top 5 Online Scam list. Much like the Federal Trade Commission list released earlier, their number one online scam is Auction Fraud. For the entire article, click here.