Save Money – Don’t Fall For Internet Scams

Since the Internet crosses borders and allows people to create fake identities for themselves, money scams keep cropping up. However, people still fall for them. Here are 5 financial scams that you should be on the lookout for. If you get an offer or Email like these, delete it. Replying to them confirms that you exist and use your computer.

 

These letters still arrive and lately there have been some from countries other than Nigeria. There are many variations of it, and they are usually recognizable as scams by poor spelling and bad grammar. The only bank account referred to in these letters is yours, meaning hit the delete button when you see the letter

 

When it comes to Internet financial scams, this one has become quite fashionable. I’ve received emergency emails from friends. All of them have been on holiday in Barcelona, Rome or London where they were mugged, though miraculously, their passports were spared. And they want me to please wire them some money. This is another obvious financial scam, in spite of the fact that it seems to come from someone you know. What has actually happened is that your friend or relative’s Email password was hacked and the hacker is sending out these Emails to their entire Email address book.

 

The trouble with this financial scam is that it can really happen. You could get a real Email from any of these companies telling you that there was a problem and they’ve temporarily frozen your accounts. Fortunately, there are two foolproof ways to find out if it’s for real or not: First, if they ask you to Email back a password, that’s a sure sign that it’s a fraudster. No financial institution would ever ask you to send a password, account number or other information via Email since it’s not secure. Mouse over any links in the Email. Then, look down at the bottom left hand corner of your screen. It should show where the link goes to. If it’s not ebay.com, paypal.com, etc. it’s a financial scammer and you should stay far away.

 

This one ought to be obvious by now, but people fall for it every day. There is one way to get Viagra: you go to a doctor and get a prescription which you then fill at a pharmacy. If you get an Email for low cost Viagra or other drugs or other products which should be expensive, delete it. At best, you’ll get a worthless knockoff. At worst, your credit card number will be stolen or you’ll be sent fake Viagra which contains dangerous chemicals which can kill you.

 

No matter what it is, don’t download things from the Internet unless you know the website is reliable. If you do download stuff, be sure to scan it first with a virus scanner. Many of these so called “free” products are fakes. They are financial scams where they install a key logger along with your free game or music. Then, they can harvest your bank password and other information, stealing every last penny you own.