Who am I? My name is Greg Vail and I am a professional Sax Player and Web developer. I perform in the Gospel and Jazz worlds, run my own record label, Greg Vail Music, record and produce my own CDs, and run Web Sites covering Saxophone topics and various musical styles and genres.
How can we avoid scams in today's world?? I receive over 200 emails a day from rip off and con-artists. Everything from PayPal or a bank needing me to unlock my account, to lottery winnings, to pharmacies in Canada, to 17.6 million dollars in some bank account in Uganda, to Credit Cards, and Loans, and eBay second chance offers and, and, and, and........
The internet has given international arms and legs to thieves all over the world! How can you protect yourself and your hard earned money from the scam artist?
There are some helpful rules and guidelines that should always be applied before clicking a link or responding to an email.
My short list includes:
If it is too good to be true - it is too good to be true. There is no Sony Laptop, Canon Camera, or 50 dollars a survey, or any other easy money to be found in the real world. Get a job and keep it and stop looking for the easy out.
No personal information should ever be given to anyone or any site unless you can confirm, from a third party connection, who you are dealing with. I never click a link from an eBay or PayPal or any bank site from the email. I always login to the account and look for the claimed problem there. The last time I clicked a link I got a nasty virus that shut down my computer. If you hover over a link, you can usually tell that it is not the site it claims to be, but why even tempt fate; just login to the real site and check from there.
Never give Credit Card info to an unsolicited site. Got an email for a new Credit Card that looks real? Do you go to the link in the email and apply? You have no idea who that really is. Go to a known site or search the company name and click in thru a confirmed link. NEVER FOLLOW LINKS FROM UNSOLICITED EMAIL.
No Government Agency will contact you by EMail asking for personal information. Many new Scams on the FBI website involve supposed email from the IRS, FBI or DOJ (Department of Justice) which look very real and like you are in trouble. Never open the attachments! Call the agency directly if there is any concern. NEVER RESPOND TO THAT EMAIL. Before calling a phone number listed in an email, search the number. If you think it could be fraud, search the agency and call from the website, posted number. IF in doubt, check it out!
No free gift card, free computer, free plasma screen TV, free Starbucks for a year, free lottery money from my email address, free 16 million helping a former general from the blab la regime following the civil war, no free money for forwarding emails, undercover shopping, survey taking, no 10,000 a month working out of my home from my computer, 100,000 annual income…. Must I continue??
There are 2 kinds of scams. One is designed to get any information on you that might be used to use your credit cards, get credit in your name, get access to your computer and personal information – all for illegal profiting at your expense. These scams are called Phishing, Identity Theft and Spoofing. The other is the purchase of something that is never delivered – the most common of internet fraud case these days.
Regardless of the scam, trust is a key element of the Scammer. If you trust the individual, you will go against all logic, and walk right into a burning building of financial problems. Greed also comes into play. Don’t we all deserve a great deal from time to time? A 1962 Impala from a friends, friends Mom, fully restored, for only 4,000 bucks; but it’s 1000 miles away, you never actually talk to the owner but her brother, the money has to be sent before the car will be shipped, the check is made out to someone you never talked to, the shipping gets complicated, but the cost is so good who cares. Before you know it, you just sent the last part of nearly 9 thousand dollars to a second person, and wait for the delivery for weeks realizing you don’t even have good contact info for the original seller and the # you had is now disconnected.
You get the picture. Starts off clean, simple and a win-win. Over time it gets complicated and eventually it is a 'win' for somebody and a 'screwed' for you. And he seemed like such a great guy too.
Now that I have you a little more skeptical, it’s time to get a little more educated.
Urban Legends - Glurge
There are many sites online about internet lies – Urban Legends as they are called these days or Glurge. I have a page at GregVail.com exposing the misinformation highway with links to the truth on much of the junk mail we see.
A deeper search regarding Scam and Fraud issues? Lets start with your FBI.
OnGuardOnline.gov provides practical tips from the federal government and the
technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your
computer, and protect your personal information. This is a great site to check out.
A few page links - Spyware help from On Guard Online Phishing help from On Guard Online - Phishing is the term used for people looking for personal information like Credit Cards and Banking, Passwords and the like, to use for illegal gain.
Buyer Beware!
Be informed, be skeptical and be smart! If it don't feel right or smells funny - walk away and get some ice cream or something else you will enjoy.
