How to Stay Away From Scams

Member

By winnster
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating: (18 Ratings)

Stay Away From Scams

Given the weak economy nowadays, more and more people are opting to save as much money as they can. However, there are some people/groups/companies out there that are so desperate for money that they have resorted to scamming the public! Here are a few tips and things to stay away from.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Internet scams. There are too much to name. Craigslist.org is a good site for everything, except selling items. Because posters are not required to provide any information before they post an ad, it is very easy for them to take your money and run. Often, if you buy something, you will receive a fake or nothing at all. Others to look out for are those sites that have a person telling you a very long story about how they made it rich and then after a few minutes of reading, it asks you to pay a sum of a certain amount to receive a book or more information. THIS IS A SCAM. Most "pay money to make money" sites are out there to get you.
Step 2

Fitness scams. Don't hate me for saying this, but Bally Total Fitness Gym is known for scamming their customers. Actually, news about this has been floating around the internet for a few years. The company declared bankruptcy back in 2007 and in a desperate move to save their company, they resorted to very unethical ways to gain customers. There have been many employees complaining about the way they are treated as well. You may visit any search engine and type in "bally fitness scam" and numerous pages and results will pop up.
Step 3

Read all contracts. Here is how many Bally customers fell into the trap. Many representatives are taught to reel you in using a lot of pressure. Many go in and are offered a free trial and those people are asked to sign something. Most don't read it and find themselves locked in a 3 year contract. Another option is to sign up for a 3 year contract and as long as you go for 16 times within the first 30 days after sign up and pay for the first two months, you may cancel BY MAIL ONLY. However, when people try to cancel, they will simply say they haven't been to the club enough times or they will say they NEVER RECEIVED your letter of cancellation. You find yourself bound to a 3 year contract.
Step 4

Carnival scams. It is alright to go into a carnival and pay a few bucks to have some fun. However, after a while, if you don't seem to be winning, just QUIT. Recently there have been a few carnival games that scammed many people out of thousands of dollars. I saw it with my own eye. REMEMBER: NEVER PAY MONEY TO MAKE MONEY!!! Most carnival games are not designed for you to win, but it's ok to pay a few bucks to have fun. Just be careful.
Step 5

Email scams: There are too many to count. Recently there have been emails floating around inboxes, usually from a foreign person saying they have a $2 million business deal and would like to include you. I'm sorry to say this, but don't be stupid. Everything about that sounds WRONG! Another common one is when you receive a fakish email from a bank or a credit card company saying they want to verify your information. You would then have to either email them back your information or click some link and sign in. DON'T DO IT!!! Banks and credit card companies would NEVER ask you for your information through email.
Step 6

While its tempting to pay $20 to become a millionaire or sign a contract with a "straight" company like Bally Total Fitness, there are many other ways to become a millionaire or get fit. Financing a home gym for $1k or so is better than getting sucked into a 3 year contract for $3k. There are some people who are actually willing to pay for a membership, but at the end of their contract, Bally's often finds some way to manipulate the contract or some excuse to get as much money as they can.
Step 7

Check with the Better Business Bureau at bbbonline.org if you want more information on the integrity of certain companies. You can also check consumerreports.org for certain product reviews if your feeling iffy about certain products. We're always told to think before we act. This is true to avoid scams. Research before buying. Read before signing.

Comments

jrofosho1 said

Flag This Comment

on 7/28/2009 really important scam article 5* and a recommend

godfather25 said

on 7/19/2009 Excellent suggestions on staying away from scams.

greatnews said

on 7/17/2009 One thing that has helped me is always sleep on it, or wait a few days before deciding. Scams usually lose their appeal with time. 5 *'s!