The other night I was watching the end of one show which lead into (obviously) the next. It was an “intervention” documentary and, frankly, after about five minutes or so I just had to turn the channel. However, those first five minutes were definitely eye-opening!
The segment of the show I watched featured an older man (family man) who was so far gone on pain killers and the like that he actually believed AND SENT information from emails we all tend to receive. You know (hopefully) the ones I’m talking about:
o The President of Country X is going into exile and needs your help stashing his billions. All you need to do is send your banking information so he can hide his money. Then when he’s safely out of the country, and collects, he’ll give you a nice fat bonus for having helped him out.
o You’ve Won! Somehow, though you never actually entered any contest anywhere, you are the grand recipient of a million dollars. All you need do is… well read the above.
The thing is… this guy BELIEVED all this! He’d already lost over $600,000 and was STILL doing it.
Of course the devastation on his family was tragic, and watching the guy was heart-wrenching. So that’s when I turned the channel. (I can only hope that putting the guy into rehab worked.)
But having watched even the small portion that I did served a purpose, at least for me. There are way too many scams out there, and even more people willing to believe just about anything.
Should you find a program that sounds legitimate, exciting or even just too good to be true, you do have resources at your disposal:
o The Better Business Bureau Online
These are just two of your stops before you commit to anything.
o Check the domain using any domain lookup (I like BetterWhoIs.com).
o Watch for discrepancies. I may have mentioned along the way of coming across a web site where the owner shows his “profits” only to find out the screenshot and the dates of origin for the domain itself were no where close. This should be a huge red flag for you!
It’s the little things you need to watch for… sure it’s exciting to THINK you’ll get rich overnight but don’t believe it. Years go into making and sustaining a business online. Years. Not days or weeks or even a few months. Check or ask your favorite “guru.” They, too, spent years (and tons of money foolishly) before making it to the big show.
Thanks for this wonderful information and resources!
.-= Barbara´s last blog ..Relax With Barbara On Wednesday 62 =-.
As always, you have great advise and resources, Theresa. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Terry
Magic happens when you give with an open heart ~Terry Gorley~
Great advice, Theresa! There are a lot of scams in the world – offline as well as online.
I once witnessed an older woman lose $30,000 – she’d gotten a phone call telling her she won a lottery and to collect her winnings she had to wire $500 (for taxes or admin fee or something).
The scammer kept calling her saying she had to send more and more. The police finally stopped the nonsense but she had lost nearly $30K by then, and the poor woman STILL didn’t believe it was a scam!
It makes me sick that people could do such horrible things to other people.
Denise
It is always a tragedy when folks fall for things like the scam you mention. It is so blatant.
The sad thing is that there are actually great opportunities for online business, like the Linda Christas College recruitment business that my sister has, and these legit sites suffer sort of a bad karmic wash because of a few bad apples.
I enjoy your site, and intend to visit it often.
I am a bit skeptical about the BBB though. In our community, that is a real scam. It’s almost like a “protection” business. Join or else kind of thing.
I know that several small businesses in our community with the Chamber of Commerce, the Women’s Business Association, the Better Business Bureau, Dun and Bradstreet and on and on, it becomes impossible to join them all. And, it becomes a racket with one consumer protection agency trying to sell the public that THEY are the most legit. Well in our community, the BBB is an outright scam. Maybe not where you are. However, be careful with that kind of thing because in the wrong hands, a BBB franchise can be just evil.
Beth
Hi Beth! Thank you for a well thought out and presented comment. Your comment on the BBB is most interesting and definitely worth investigation (I’ve often wondered that myself actually)…
Unfortunately it’s the most vulnerable people who are most likely to fall for the scams.
Hey Diane.
Once again, some nice resources. Thanks much!
Those are valuable links. I feel so bad for that guy and his family. I am sure there are more of these unfortunate incidents than I want to know about.
The comments here are as valuable as the article itself. I always learn something here.
.-= Barbara´s last blog ..A Garbage Warrior -To A Green Living Hero! =-.
It absolutely boggles my mind what some people will fall for. If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.
I have found my guru and plan on staying with her for as long as she will let me. As for the scams out there, they just seem to be growing with no end in site. Just do due diligence before diving in.
.-= Linda´s last blog ..The Semantics of Global Warming =-.
I just check it that link and i read it and feel very bad for those family.I came first time please add me .
Thanks
I saw that show. He was pretty impaired to believe those scams. But they do target people who are imparied for one reason or another and prey on them mercilessly
.-= psyche´s last blog .. =-.
I am quite new to the internet and needed to read up on this subject. Thought it was a great entry very well written and helpful. I will surely be coming back to your blog to read more articles as i really enjoyed this one..
I absolutely enjoy reading your articles, the manner of writing is amazing.This blog as usual was instructive, I have had to bookmark your blog and subscribe to your feed in googlereader. Your blog looks impressive.
You got a really useful blog I have been here reading for about half an hour. I am a newbie and your post is valuable for me.
Thank you, great job! Exactly what I needed to get.
First of all ,you have picked a very beautiful template . I think i might design something similar for a future blog that i plan to create . On top of that ,i really enjoy most of the articles and your unique point of view.Good Job
Hey,
Interesting article. I almost have been scammed on ebay when wanting to purchase a playstation console. I have started to think that the auction was a scam the moment the seller asked me to send the funds through western union.
All the best,
Jonas
Hi Jonas! Yes anyone asking for the money upfront, especially auction style, doesn’t sound right to me either. Caution is the word of the day.