Scammers are everywhere online and off. You will find their stint in the classifieds, on all auctions, e-stores, merchants such as Paypal, your email and anywhere else they perceive as avenues for swindling money from you. Many people have been scammed and are living the painful consequences. Some people fall prey to scams because of their own greed, some because of their desperate circumstances and others because of ignorance. But whatever the reason, pain is pain.

Below I will delineate some clear and definite ways you can protect yourself from being scammed and identify the primary clues to recognizing scammer activity. I have also listed some resources that you may find helpful.

1) Don’t be greedy. You are not going to get something for nothing. If it sounds too good to be true…it is NOT true. Any correspondence you receive that even hint at your getting more than expected or bargained for is a clear red alert. Keep in mind that an online business is just that: a business. Any transaction that is not in keeping with common ethical business practices is not to be engaged in.

2) Be sure your buyer or seller is VERIFIED. Paypal, pppay and others are set up to protect us against scammers but only if we follow their guidelines.

3) Scammers are notorious for wanting to pay via THEIR method and have items shipped THEIR way. Do not waste your time.

4) Scammers have cleverly designed email correspondence to resemble paypal and actual banking institutions as well. BEWARE!! If you conduct transactions through paypal, get acquainted with their method of doing business. For example, when they send you an email it will always have the accounts name on it. Scammers do not know your account name and therefore uses terms such as “customer.” Their phony email will inform you that your account is in jeopardy and will encourage you to click on a link contained in the email to be taken to your account where you can make necessary adjustments. DO NOT DO IT!!! This is scamming activity. If you are unsure, go to your account via paypal.com; never click the link in the email. This goes for ALL accounts. In other words, never respond to an email requesting account or credit card information. This is called “phishing.” No reputable business will request this information via email. The following is an example of one I received recently.

Dear valued PayPal member:

It has come to out attention that your PayPal account information needs to be updated as part of our continuing commitment to protect your account and to reduce the instance of fraud on our website. If you could please take 5-10 minutes out of your online experience and update your personal records you will not run into any futur problems with the online services.

However, failure to update your records will result in account suspension. Please update your records on or before November 21, 2005.

Once you have updated. your account records, your PayPal session will not be interrupted and will continue as normal.

To update your PayPal records click on the following link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_login-run http://203.76.135.170/.cgi-bin/webscrcmd=_login-run/

Thank you for using Paypal !
The PayPal Update Team.

5) Any correspondence that includes “Africa” usually Nigeria, should be avoided.

6) Do not get sucked in the religious jargon many scammers are using these days. It is a trick to get you to trust them enough to engage in their nefarious scam.

7) Notice the language of the email or correspondence. Most scammers write with improper grammar and misspelled words and often the sentence structure is difficult to follow. Did you notice unprofessionalism quality of the paypal memo?

8) Read about the Nigerian 419 Letter. http://www.fraudwatchinternational.com/internet/nigerian419.shtml

9) Trust your instincts!!

10) Be cautious when conducting business with countries known for high fraud activities: Romania, Indonesia, Singapore, Ghana (a rising star of fraud!), Ukraine , Uganda, Nigeria, Hungary, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovak Republic, Russia, Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Phillipines, Thailand, Malaysia.

Additional Online Fraud Resources

Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org )
IFCC - Internet Fraud Complaint Center (www.ifccfbi.gov )
Shipping Carrier (www.usps.com , www.ups.com , www.fedex.com , etc.)
Anti-Phishing Working Group (www.anti-phishing.org )
Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov )
PayPal Security Center
Scam Busters: http://www.scambusters.org/NigerianFee.html
Break the Chain: http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/scams.html
Scamorama: http://www.scamorama.com/scam117.shtml
US Secret Service: http://www.secretservice.gov/alert419.shtml
Read about one person’s response to scammers: http://spl.haxial.net/nigerian-fraud

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach which can be reviewed on her site. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, though delayed in publication, is expected to be available early 2006.

You have an open invitation to visit us at AMEN Ministries: Your Soul's Service Station for reviewing spiritual services being offered, obtain spiritual refreshing and soul edification, get your daily dose of humor, browse our newly expanded Stop & Shop Store and to visit our prayer sanctum for quiet time with God.

Blessings to all!

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