Beware of Scams!!!

Sometimes we receive an e-mail which offers that seems too good to be true.

• Now a day’s Fraud is flourishing/spreading   on the Internet
• Here are the few common scams to watch for it.

Details of Fake check scams schemes, but generally works in this way:

1. You place an item for sale on the Internet. The scam artist (usually claiming to be from another country) contacts you about buying it.
2. The scammer sends you a check. For some reason (possibly a “mistake”), the check is for more than what you are owed.
3. You are told to cash the check, keep your share and wire the “extra” money to the buyer. What you don’t know is that the check is fake.
4. Your bank makes the funds available to you within five days (as required by law) – even though the check hasn’t cleared yet. Weeks later, you find out the check has bounced.
5. You must then reimburse the bank. In the meantime, you have wired the “excess” money to the scam artist and may have already spent the portion that the con artist “paid” you.

• Prize offers:
  Congratulations! The e-mail says you’ve just won an all-expense paid cruise, a new car or a sweepstakes. You’ll receive your prize once you pay the company the taxes (or processing fee, or shipping costs) you owe on your winnings. You make the payment, but never receive your prize.
• Work-at-home schemes:
  Make one thousand dollars a week working at home on your computer! You send payment for your “training materials,” but end up with no job. It’s up to you to find customers, and there may be no market for the type of work that’s being touted.

In a similar scheme, the kit may contain instructions on how to place an ad like the one you’ve just fallen for. Don’t do it, though, or you, too, will be committing fraud.

• Credit repair:
  Some scammers send e-mails offering to remove negative information from your credit report – for an upfront fee. The company might also promise to open a “second credit file” for you. Be aware that only inaccurate information can be removed from a credit report, and there’s no such thing as a “second credit file.”
• Phishing and pharming:
  Phishing e-mails look like they’re from your bank or credit issuer. You are asked to click on a link to “confirm” personal information. The link takes you to a look-alike Web site, where you’re asked to give your credit card information, Social Security number or password. The scammer then has enough information to steal your identity.
• Pharming e-mails:

It includes attachments and may appear to be from someone you know. A virus is planted in the attachment, and can hijack your computer and steal your personal information.

• Credit card offers:
  If you have bad credit and are offered a credit card anyway, it’s probably a scam – especially if the company is asking for an upfront fee. People with bad credit aren’t normally offered credit cards – and no legitimate company asks for a fee in advance.
• Online dating scams:
  Online dating fraud can leave you broke – and broken-hearted. Victims are often contacted by people from overseas. The relationship develops quickly. The scammer professes love for the victim early on and sends flowers and gifts.

The scammer may request money for many reasons, but notably for travel expenses to America to meet the victim. After the money is wired, the new love interest never shows up. By this time, the victim has lost thousands of dollars.

Tips for spotting scams

• Don’t pay taxes to anyone but the IRS.
• Don’t trust e-mail offers without doing some research to make sure they’re legit. Most unsolicited e-mails are scams.
• If you’re not familiar with an organization, don’t give out any personal information. Check the company out with the Better Business Bureau.
• Be cautious about anyone who overpays you or offers to send you an “advance” on a job arrangement. There are numerous ways for someone to commit check fraud.
• Be aware of pharming and phishing techniques. Don’t ever provide personal information in response to an e-mail or phone call. And don’t open e-mail attachments unless you know the sender and are expecting the attachment.
• Don’t let yourself be pressured. If you have to accept an offer right away, it’s probably fraudulent.
• Don’t trust a company that doesn’t give its name, address and phone number.
• Check with the Better Business Bureau or your state Attorney General’s office if you have any doubts about a company.
• When in doubt, check it out. If you receive a message from someone you know asking for money, don’t assume it’s legit. His or her e-mail account may have been phished.

If you believe you’ve been the victim of Internet fraud, contact the Internet Crime Complaint center at www.ic3/gov.

Source-Published in My Optum Health.

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