Wireless Wednesday for 9/4/13: With Mitch Evans - Avoiding Internet Scams

Mitch and I talk a little U.S. Open tennis and look at some common internet scams

Have a listen to all three parts:

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday for 9/4/13 on 92.9 The Game Part 1’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday for 9/4/13 on 92.9 The Game Part 2’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday for 9/4/13 on 92.9 The Game Part 3’ on Audioboo

* TOPICS -   U.S. Open tennis continues and we take a look at Internet Scams - and the App of the Week

*Internet Scams*
Some of those old internet scams are still being used along with some new ones. Don't fall for these internet scams!
Tips:
*Never give out your passwords, SS#, Bank Acct Numbers or personal info.
Only use your credit cards on secure sites- Amazon, Target.com, etc

1.   The Nigerian Prince

Yes, some people must still fall for this
Nigeria, oh, Nigeria. You probably know the scam, already. A Nigerian prince/widow/businessman/ orphan/king writes to you saying he must deposit a vast amount of money in the U.S. while he deals with political issues, and he would like to use your account to do so. He’ll even pay you a nice sum to make it happen!
Except he needs a deposit from you to make sure he knows you are legit. And something bad is going to eventually happen, requiring more money from you than just the original deposit. Oh, and you’ll never see this money again. Basically, if it’s from Nigeria, don’t even open the email. There are plenty of variations of the old scam to go around.

 

2.   1-900 Numbers

It’s time for the phone interview — your new employer just wants you to call in, though. A 1-900 number? You’ve probably never heard of one. There’s a good reason for that. 1-900 numbers aren’t toll-free. Much like any pay-to-talk phone line (think of something along the lines of those “singles chat lines” you see on late night TV), 1-900 numbers charge you for however long you stay on them.
Scammers use these numbers to have unwitting victims call in while they cash in. Of course, some of the fees go to your phone company, but a big chunk of it ends up in the scammer’s pockets, too.
 


3.   The "can we use your bank account" scam

Much like receiving an advance on your first paycheck, some scammers will hire you as a “financial manager” to cash checks and then wire the money abroad (or wherever they may be). Unfortunately, the checks are completely worthless, but your bank won’t know that until it’s too late. To make matters worse, your name will be the one tied to things, and unfortunately, you’ll be responsible for everything.

With that said, just ignore anything that requires you to use your personal bank account for anything. Don’t do it. Just don’t.

 

4. You’ll Need To Pay A Registration Fee First scam

The classic “pay to start” scam comes in yet another form. This time around, you have to pay a non-refundable registration fee. It’s quite simple, really. Pay a small amount (say, $50?) to apply, turn in your application, and wait to hear back from the head honcho.
However, you may hear from the head honcho, and you may not hear from the head honcho. Either way, though, you’re not getting the job. You’ll either just not receive a response or you will get one saying you didn’t get the job. Bummer, man.

5.  The "Lottery" scam

This scam will usually come in the form of a conventional email message. It will inform you that you won millions of dollars and congratulate you repeatedly. The catch: before you can collect your “winnings”, you must pay the “processing” fee of several thousands of dollars.

Stop! You won't be a winner in this lotter, go to Quik Trip and buy a scartch off, it's a better invenstment.  Once you realize you have been suckered into paying $3000 to a con man, they are long gone with your money. Do not fall for this lottery scam.

 

6.   Travel or Cruise Scams

These scams are most active during the summer and fall months. You receive an email with the offer to get amazingly low fares to some exotic destination but you must book it today or the offer expires that evening. If you call, you’ll find out the travel is free but the hotel rates are highly overpriced.

Some can offer you rock-bottom prices but hide certain high fees until you “sign on the dotted line”. Others, in order to give you the “free” something, will make you sit through a timeshare pitch at the destination. Still others can just take your money and deliver nothing.

Also, getting your refund, should you decide to cancel, is usually a lost cause, often called a nightmare or mission-impossible.
 

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