E-mail Scams: Don’t be a Victim

Everyday con artists gear up to scam millions of American consumers. E-mail scams and offers may be used to clean out your pocket. One click and you’ve lost your money. Free prizes and downloads may cost $3.00 or more. Once scammers have your personal information, they may just help themselves to all your money. Be careful, be wary, proceed with common sense.

Never click on a link inside your e-mail to visit a Web site. Instead, type the address bar in your browser. Better safe than scammed. It’s very easy for any buisness to look official online. Before you deal with a buisness check the Better Buisness Bureau and research Web scam reports. Only 2% of the identity thefts reported occur through the mail. Report online scams to the Federal Trade Commission.

Keep all your receipts, statements,and packing slips. Check them for accuracy and keep them in a file. Shred your confidential documents, don’t just throw them in the trash. There are scammers who make a career of foraging through trash, looking for personal info.

If you’ve been scammed after doing buisness online, the documents you’ve filed ,can be used as evidence.

Don’t click on emails from your bank. Any email that appears to be from your bank is a scam. Your bank will never e-mail you for your account number.Don’t wire money to folks you don’t know. Foreign lotteries are illegal in the United States. You have not won, no matter what these scammers say.

Check your credit report from the three national credit bureaus. Do this at least once a year. If you’ve been a victim of an email scam, your reports will reveal this.

Be careful, be wary, proceed with caution. When recieving emails requesting you click on to a Web site. Don;t do it. Type the address into your browser. Better safe than scammed.