- The Nigerian Letter: While this advance-fee scam is an oldie-but-goody, new variations are making it much more effective in trapping the vulnerable and unwary. What should consumers do: Do not respond. Delete email. Toss paper mail.
- Exploitation by Education: Unemployment woes and job anxiety cause some folks to consider retraining for new careers. Scammers entice the education-seeking unemployed with promises to get rich quick with their secret plan, win a high-paying job with their streamlined schooling, or pass a test for a chance at a swank government gig. What you should do: Avoid same-day decisions. Any career or education decision deserves at least a day's consideration: research, get referrals and reconsider.
- Devilish Diagnoses: Most of us know to be wary of an auto mechanic discovering a previously undetected, but expensive, car repair. We can see he's got personal interest in pointing-out the pricey problem. That same conflict of interest now is appearing more often in other industries. From the hearing specialist who also hawks hearing aids to the financial planner pitching her own brand of mutual funds, consumers are being taken advantage of by exploiters who prey upon their trust. What you should do: Separate the diagnosis from the product or service deliverer. While it may take more time, the money saved may be worth many times the delay.
- Facebook Unfriendlies: Social networking on Facebook, LinkedIn and similar websites is redefining how families and friend stay connected. However, the same walled-off environment of filtered contacts that we've been trained to trust has also led us to let our guard down. Scammers launch topical pages in order to trawl for like-minded social network users. Once "friended," they link the unwary out of the safe environment to an external site where they can be attacked by a virus or pitched scam offers. What you should do: Do not respond to or "friend" any person or organization that you do not know of from outside of the social network.
- Outrageous Requests: Phishing is what security professionals call attempts to trick computer users into providing personal or financial information. Phishers have jumped off the net and onto the phone lines and cell towers with ruses designed to separate you from your hard-earned dollars. Armed with your name, address and phone number, they call you with requests to "verify" other personal information such as social security number and credit card information. What you should do: Give no information. Do not engage in conversation. Tell them any further contact will be reported to police and/or the FBI.
Think you can spot a scam? Take the short “Scam or Real” quiz on AARP’s web site.
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