Cons artists have been practicing their craft for generations however in this day and age of instant information it has become increasingly easy for them to find their marks. Whether through the Internet
in the form of emails scams or businesses that advertise in the local paper, scams are all around us. Managing your finances in the current economy is challenging enough without complicating the situation by becoming the victim of a scam or con. Of course the blame should be placed squarely on the shoulders of the dishonest individuals who run these scams, however consumers must accept their role in this problem. In almost every instance where a scam has been successful, the consumer at some point made a mistake that could have have been avoided. That is why it is important to understand how we get ripped off and what to do to avoid being the victim of a scam.
Recognizing a scam– There are some scams that are so obvious it is almost impossible to not recognize them for what they are. That is not the case in every circumstance. In fact many people are getting ripped off every day by purchasing products that do not perform as promised or paying fees for services which drain you of your hard earned cash. A scam doesn’t have to come in the form of an email asking you to send money to Nigeria, it can happen by simply paying too much money for products and services you use each day. While there are some scams that are definitely illegal, more often they often just on the legal side of the law. To avoid getting ripped off you must first get in the habit of spotting and avoiding scams.
Beef up math skills– Americans are really falling behind in math skills. You have no doubt seen this problem numerous times at a cash register when the clerk is figuring change. If you can’t perform simply mathematical tasks you are at a distinct disadvantage when performing any financial transactions. When this occurs during a loan process or managing your credit card debt, you will undoubtedly end up paying more money than you should in the long run.
Spotting a liar– The people who are most skilled at performing a scam are also the best liars. We have become a society where trust is not easily given to strangers yet an alarming number of people fail to recognize con artists because they are well dressed and portray themselves as legitimate business men and women. Con artists are most often charming, manipulative and very convincing. They can lie without missing a beat and have no concern if the deal they are making is going to put you in the poor house. This means consumers have to be especially vigilant whenever they are making decisions which involve their finances. If a deal sounds to good to be true, it more than likely is.
Read the fine print- This advice has been passed down for generations when agreeing to a contract which is legally binding. Amazingly many consumers fail to heed this advice and enter into financial agreements without fulling understanding the terms and conditions to which they have agreed to be bound. Debt relief scams, investments scams, even less expensive scams that enroll you in monthly subscriptions are almost always legal due to the fact they disclose all the information necessary to make an informed decision. It is up to the consumer to ferret out these details and understand exactly what they are getting into before signing on the bottom line.
There are too many scams happening around the country to list them all in one place. It is imperative consumers stop thinking it can’t happen to them and begin looking at each transaction closely to ensure they are not getting ripped off. Being overly vigilant is sometimes the only way to avoid being the victim of the next scam.