Scams

1) A Brand New You: Identity Theft and the Growing Need to Protect Yourself
In the wake of taxpayers discovering that their money may be at risk following the government’s £24bn rescue of Northern Rock, people up and down the country were shocked and worried to learn about the apparent loss of sensitive data on over 25 million people after two computer discs containing records of all British families with children under sixteen - that’s over seven million families - had been lost... » read more

2) Avoid Falling Prey To Mold Scams
Mold inspection and mold remediation are relatively new businesses in the general field of water damage restoration services. As a result, the mold industry is in its infancy of becoming a regulated and specifically licensed service. Combine that with the all of the recent attention being given to mold and its toxicity, and the result is a field primed for scams. Whether you are just proactively... » read more

3) Preventing Identity Fraud
About a year ago, a seventy six year old woman was admitted to a convalescent facility for a few weeks to receive physical therapy after a fall. She was there one week when she noticed her credit cards were not in her purse. Her daughter immediately contacted the credit card company. The card had been stolen for two days. In that time the thief charged approximately $3000 of food, merchandise and... » read more

4) Avoiding Home Based Business Scams
Likely you have seen many advertisements for home business scams that seem too good to be true. Each year people fall for these scams and millions of dollars are lost. Many of these scams are aimed at individuals such as stay at home parents, unemployed individuals, the elderly, disabled and those with low incomes. However, you can avoid these scams by learning to tell the difference between a legitimate... » read more

5) Premium Rate Scams - Beware Of Missed Calls
This article outlines the more common methods of Premium Rate Scams. We have tried to elaborate the commonly used techniques used by scamsters and make people aware. The first example of a scam is related to missed calls on your mobile phones. If you get a missed call on your phone from an unknown number that starts with 0709 prefix there may be something fishy. The scam is simple yet effective and... » read more

6) The Perfect Christmas Gift. For Identity Thieves
The holidays are in full swing. Like most people you are probably getting your share of cards, gifts, bills (always) and various offers to spend money. And all of it is going into your mailbox. Personal information is delivered to us on a daily basis. The problem is most mailboxes can easily be broken into. Since many of us only think about our home and property when dealing with home security, identity... » read more

7) Identity Theft: Oh No. Not Them
You'll never hear the end of it if you decide to press charges. And besides you're not even sure you really want to do that. They might pay you back the money. Not. The burden is on you to sort this mess out and the worst part is once a relative or friend steals your identity, it's almost impossible to trust them again. We hear about the high profile cases of hackers breaking into the databases of... » read more

8) How To Spot A Home Business Scam
There are so many home business opportunities being thrown around that it may seem like there should be no unemployed people in the world. Additionally, with the amount of money promised to be available for part time jobs, everyone should be lying on the beach and not just the few used in testimonials hoping to lure you into working for him or her. Whether it is by mail, email or an online ad, the offers... » read more

9) I.R.S. Email Scams - 6 Tips to Protect Yourself
In Nov. 2005 the I.R.S. issued an alert for consumers warning of an email that appears as if it has come from the Internal Revenue Service, but it has absolutely not. The email looks official and claims that the recipient has a tax refund coming his/her way. The email then directs the reader to a link that requests very sensitive, personal, information. It asks for your nine digit Social Security Card... » read more

10) Work At Home Moms Beware
Scams are on the rise. The notion of being able to support yourself financially is not new. The rising rates of telecommuters and the self employed show that more and more individuals find avenues of making money while staying at home rather than leaving for an office some place else. This ofcourse appeals tremendously to stay at home moms and even working moms who would much rather spend the time at home... » read more

11) Avoiding Work At Home Scams
There are more scams on the internet than real opportunities of working at home is the number one dream of any parent and there are those who have succeeded in finding an opportunity for gainful employment from the comfort of their own home. They may greet their computer in the morning while wearing fuzzy slippers and they might find that they can think best after baking a batch of cookies. They are... » read more

12) Credit and Debit Card Safety
Credit and debit cards offer great convenience in eliminating the need to carry large amounts of cash, and allowing us to purchase items through postal order and over the phone and internet. However, these advantages also apply to fraudsters who are keen to use your card and details in order to make fraudulent purchases and transactions. The following tips are a few simple precautions that you can take to... » read more

13) How To Avoid Scams Involving Online Surveys
Under the right circumstances, paid surveys can be an excellent way to earn extra money in your spare time. As is the case with anything, the key to success is being informed and knowledgeable about the industry. If you want to be able to quickly differentiate between a legitimate paid surveys opportunity and a scam, it may not be as difficult as you think. First of all, be mindful of a company that... » read more

14) Maid Gets Made
Kimberly is a businesswoman for a large corporation she deals with some of the companys most important clients. She handles very lucrative contracts and is responsible for sensitive information. The companys ability to keep up with and exceed its competition depends largely on some of the things she does. She usually secures all sensitive information before she goes home every night. Cleaning and... » read more

15) Avoid Bad Cosmetic Surgery - Don't Get Scammed
That cosmetic surgeon seems so nice. He seems so educated and he really wants to help you rid yourself of all those insecurities. He wants to help you to have a smaller nose. A smaller nose, he says, will set all of your other features off. It will put everything in balance. All you have to do is sign here and he can make all of your dreams come true. After the surgery, you wake up to find yourself... » read more

16) Abandoned Infant Scams Store Clerk In Robbery
Susan was a mother of 2 who worked in a convenience store to make ends meet. She did not mind the work, except when she had to go to the restroom at night. She had to use the same restroom as the customers, which was detached from the main store. Most of the time the night manger was there, so she was not alone. She had to walk outside to get to the restroom. It was not always well lit, but she had never... » read more

17) Job Search Alert: Have You Been Googled?
Ain't Google great? Ok, but are YOU being googled without your knowledge? If you are, your job search may be in jeopardy. If you're pursuing a job search Google can be a fabulous tool for *** Background information about an employer *** Insightful job search techniques *** Personal profiles on management *** Useful financial data *** Helpful employment statistics But, did you ever... » read more

18) Competitor Beats 2 With A Board
Charles was a 21 year old skate boarder in California. He is enjoys visiting the skateboard rings and practicing his moves. The tourneys were fierce competition. Charles was a good sportsman, but he hated too loose. Peter was his rival in most of the competition. They would battle it out. Peter was not a good sportsman. He wanted to win and he did not care how he did it. Most of the time the competition... » read more

19) Where The 'Bleep' Did My Identity Go?
I am a die-hard Mac user. Have been for over twenty years and it only gets better. The PC certainly has its place but for creative projects well... the Mac is superior and the good news is is that Mac's do not get viruses. My partner is a die-hard PC user. If you ever viewed the recent Mac commercials then you can imagine our relationship. I have recently added creative video production to my... » read more

20) Having ATM Withdrawal Symptoms?
Katherine was a 19 year old freshman at large university out west. She was a busy young person who wanted to become an engineer when she graduated. She worked partime in an establishment near campus to take care of her extra expenses. She routinely withdrew extra cash from an ATM machine near the college campus. There were usually other students near the machine checking on their finances. She heard... » read more

21) Some Tips For Preventing Identity Theft
These days it is becoming increasingly common to see people suffering from identity theft. It has become a huge business for thieves and con artists all over the world. If it has never happened to you, trust me you don't want it to. These people who specialize in stealing identities can run up charges on your credit cards, empty your bank accounts, sell off investment portfolios and have the funds... » read more

22) Exposed! How To Recognize And Avoid Con Artists On-line and Off
Charity fraud can do and does do a lot of harm. The con artist takes advantage of the generosity of people and good intentions by taking their cash, money thwarted that was meant for people in need. You can make sure that any money you give gets into the right hands. Just remember these tips when somebody asks you for a donation. 1] Ask for identification, for the organization AND the solicitor. Find... » read more

23) The Endless Fight Against Get Paid Scams And Paid Survey Scams
The year was 1999 and the internet advertising industry was booming. Seemingly out of nowhere, a company named AllAdvantage appeared, offering to pay people for running and viewing an ad bar on their desktop computers (known as ''pay to surf''). Alladvantage was backed with millions of dollars of private investors money and wasn't afraid of throwing it around either. Initially offering users 50 cents per... » read more

24) Online Sweepstakes - What You Need To Know
Sweepstakes are highly regulated in most countries. In the United States, many states have their own rules for sweepstakes, and a national sweepstakes must comply with each state's laws. In Canada and other countries, Sweepstakes must be at least nominally a game of skill, to avoid being seen as gambling. Canadian sweepstakes will usually require entrants to solve a mathematical puzzle to enter. On-line... » read more

25) Identity Theft: It Can Happen to Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime
Thousands of people will find out that they have become a victim of identity theft each year, and the numbers are growing. Unfortunately, there is really no sure way to protect yourself from becoming a victim. There are steps that you can take to help safeguard your personal information, and watch for early indications that you may have someone using your information. Educate yourself on what measures you... » read more