One of the quickest ways to get scammed is to do business with the people claiming they will buy your used car for up to %150 of its market value. Remember, if something sounds too good to be true…it probably is. And that check in your hand? Bouncy as a basketball.For those of you who like to spend time at the downs, be careful. It’s a hotbed for scammers claiming that they can beat the odds and just like anywhere else, make sure to keep an eye out for anyone boasting about their extensive track record.Every year thousands of people get duped by callers telling them they won a large sum of money in the US lottery and they have to pay their taxes on it with some sleezy callers even bullying older people by telling them they’ll go to jail if they don’t. Remember people…there is no US lottery, it goes by states.The only prediction these fraudulent phonies ever got right is that people will open their wallets to hear what they want to hear. The worst part is that many times these solicitations will be made via email, particularly targeting the elderly, with messages claiming the recipient could fall ill, or worse, if they don’t respond.A fairly popular scam these days, pictures of Eastern European or Asian women are circulated until a lonely bachelor somewhere gets smitten enough to be willing to send money for airtickets, family, and other expenses. Usually the scam continues until either they realize they’ve been had or their bank account flatlines.It usually starts with a phone call from a persuasive salesman attempting to convince you to invest in various commodities or shares. Unfortunately, however, they don’t actually exist and because boiler rooms are often linked to organized crime families, chances are you won’t be seeing that money again.By making empty promises concerning the land they are selling, land bankers manage to convince buyers that their plots will soon appreciate in value tremendously. The truth is, however, that these cheap plots are usually located in agricultural zones that will never see that sort of development. So before you dish out the big bucks on potential future real estate…do your homework.It sounds crazy, but its true. Often touted by con artists as the “food of the future”, these businessmen will go around offering people to invest as part-owner of either an ostrich, emu, or some other exotic animal. In reality, however, the money never goes to purchasing any ostriches but rather has a tendency of ending up in offshore bank accounts. Better luck next time.You may have read the signs in hotel lobbies recently warning you about scammers calling in the middle of the night. Usually they will impersonate the front desk and very apologetically ask for your credit card number because their computer crashed. Their hope is that because your are probably a bit sleepy you won’t realize that the number isn’t from the hotel.The latest trend in scammology, con artists will buy lists of “suckers” who have been successfully scammed in the past. Why? These people, usually the elderly, are actually far more likely to fall for it again. In the most sinister twist of this story, the scammers will actually set up recovery rooms, or agencies that will help them recoup their losses for a small fee…and you know the rest of the story.1 2
