Newcopia

We’ve all heard it before – “There’s a sucker born every minute.” The Internet has ushered in a new age for the con men of the world. The very essence of what makes the Internet so useful – easy access, the ability to instantly communicate with someone on the other side of the planet, the wealth of information, the list goes on – are also the very things that make it a fraudster’s paradise. Where he once may only have the opportunity to scam a few people a week, he now can multiply the potential targets by the millions without breaking a sweat.

We’ve all seen the stories on television about people that were duped by the Nigerian Prince email schemes and worse. When you hear those stories, you undoubtedly ask yourself, “She seems so SMART. How could she have fallen for something so obviously ridiculous? I would never fall for that.” But guess what? She IS smart, and you could be taken in just as easily if you’re not careful. It’s easy to see when you’re on the outside looking in, but not always as easy to see when you’re directly in the middle of it.

The scams running on the Internet run the gamut from very obvious to very clever – and by “clever,” we mean so good you won’t realize it until it’s too late. A good example of the very obvious would be the email from the Belgian attorney asking you to send him a couple thousand dollars in order for him to be able to send you your 500 million dollar inheritance as the last living relative of your great Uncle Kajagoogoo, even though you know full well your Great-Uncle Kajagoogoo is alive and well in Mobile, Alabama. And a good example of the very clever would be when you’ve already fallen for the Uncle Kajagoogoo trick and you receive a letter from a company claiming to be able to help you recover the money you lost. Unfortunately, the company is in cahoots with the original scammers and you’ve just been had twice.

So, to keep yourself safe, just keep these short guidelines in mind:

1. Never pay money to a foreign bank account because someone’s promised you millions in exchange for 10 grand.
2. Never give out bank information over the Internet – your bank will never email you to ask you to give them your account number to check on something
3. No pill is going to instantly let you drop 100 pounds
4. Never pay money in order to get started on your fabulous new career of stuffing envelopes in your living room
5. Trust your gut

There are a lot of bad guys out there in the world, but you don’t have to fall for their games. By being vigilant and careful, you can protect your finances and yourself. Just remember – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t.