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SPECIAL REPORT - TECHNOLOGY
The dirty dozen e-mail scams
The Federal Trade Commission has compiled the 12 most common e-mail scams. To read all about them all in more detail, point your browser to www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/doznalrt.htm. |
Here’s a condensed version of the scams:
1) Business opportunities: You are told you’ll make $140 a day, $1,000 a day. Many of these are illegal pyramid schemes.
2) Bulk e-mail: Someone wants to sell you e-mail addresses as a way for you to get into the e-mail marketing business. Sending bulk e-mail violates the terms of service of most Internet service providers. If you use one of the automated e-mail programs, your ISP may shut you down.
3) Chain letters: You’re asked to send a small amount of money to each of four or five names on a list and told you’ll get big money when your own name hits the top of the list. Chain letters are almost always illegal and nearly all of the people who participate in them lose money.
4) Work-at-home schemes: You’ll pay a fee to get started in a business such as envelope stuffing. But you’ll find that e-mail senders never had real employment to offer.
5) Health and diet scams: Pills that let you lose weight without exercising, cures for impotence, ways to grow hair. These gimmicks don’t work, and some are dangerous.
6) Effortless income: There are the get-rich-quick schemes. If they worked, the e-mailer wouldn’t need to ask you for money. He or she would be relaxing on the Riviera instead.
7) Free goods: Get computers or long-distance telephone service free. Most of these messages are covering up pyramid schemes, operations that soon collapse. The promoters charge a fee; you get nothing.
8) Investment opportunities: You’re promised outrageously high rates of return with no risk. These are usually short-time scams that are closed down when the crooks get enough money.
9) Cable descambler kits: You buy a kit to assemble a cable descrambler that gives you premium television channels for free. The device you build probably won’t work. If it does, you’ll likely get caught and go to jail.
10) Guaranteed loans or credit on easy terms: Get home-equity loans without having any equity in your home, as well as solicitations for unsecured credit cards, regardless of credit history. What you get for the money is a list of lenders who will turn your application down.
11) Credit repair: Erase bad credit information so you qualify for a credit card, auto loan, mortgage or job. Only time, a deliberate effort and a personal debt repayment plan will improve credit.
12) Vacation prize promotions: Hey, you’ve won a free vacation or hotel room. You often get nothing at all or, if the vacation exists, it’s likely to be a bad deal. You’ll find extra fees, shabby cruise boats and roach-filled hotels. |
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