Ever since the internet was invented, people have tried to use it as a way to make money illegally. Some of these scams have been around for years, but people still manage to get tricked by what seems to be a thing of the past. The truth of the matter is that knowledge makes the difference between avoiding fraud and getting tricked. If you want to be sure that you won’t fall into the web of internet scams, you simply need to know what you’re up against.

The Nigerian Scheme

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The Nigerian Scheme is by far the most common fraud method you can run across. If you have an email address, it is only a matter of time until you will receive a suspicious email. The exact content of this message can vary, but it is quite easy to detect. You will receive an email from a person you don’t know and he will offer you a complex story which ultimately ends in asking for money. Most of the time, the sender will give a somewhat plausible reason which might make you wonder.

Nigerian Scheme Variants

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The person who is sending an email might ask for your help because he allegedly has a blocked account with millions of dollars from an inheritance and needs only a few hundred to leave the country and get access to his fortune. He will promise you a serious compensation, but you will never receive it. Another common email that people receive is from an alleged hitman. He will tell you that he was hired buy one of your relatives or close friends and he will ask for money in exchange for your life.

Lottery Scams

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Many of the scams that happen online are related to lotteries. People often receive emails saying that they’ve won a trip or a large sum of money. If this happens, you have to make sure that you actually participated in such a lottery and that the person who is contacting you isn’t a scammer. If he asks for credit card information or any type of payment for any reason whatsoever, you are most likely dealing with a scam.

Phishing

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If you are using a home banking system, you have to be sure that you access the right website before you start imputing your password. Many hackers make clones of popular websites and start sending the links to thousands of email addresses. If you click on the link, the website will look exactly as the one of you are used to, but your password and account information will be sent to the hacker once you click the submit button.

What Do These Scams Have in Common?

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A large majority of the scams will start with a few simple emails, in the hope that the sender will make you feel safe. When the person starts asking for money, he will most likely ask for your credit card information or a transfer from a Western Union bank. These transfers don’t allow charge backs and the person who is receiving the money can’t be identified. In the end, you have to ignore emails which seem too good to be true or you can report them to the police.

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The carrot on the stick
Imagine this scenario: You’ve stumbled upon a spiffy looking website online offering a free trial pack of colon cleansing products together with an impressive looking e-Book. All you need to do is submit your name, address, credit or debit card details (for a nominal “shipping and handling fees”), as well as other personal details, and you’ll enjoy a month’s supply of colon cleansing product, JUST the thing you need to lose some weight in time for Christmas… RIGHT?

A nasty shock
WRONG! Yes, you will receive your trial package in a timely manner, but in 30 days’ time you will also find a credit or debit card charge for an astoundingly high amount – quite different from the initial S&H charge! Surprise, surprise. Upon deeper scrutiny, you find out that there is a tiny fine print on the website you signed up for your trial offer dictating that unless you call or write in to cancel that offer, you will be billed CONTINUOUSLY for the product! That means an extra $50 or more for you to pay, sometimes unknowingly each month!

Negative option
This problem stems from a clause called “negative option”. Unethical merchants take advantage of this by egging on customers to sign up for the trial offer, and not letting them know about the fine print. Customers who DO know about this, find it difficult to cancel the offer and by the time they managed to get through to the merchants via email or telephone, it will be too late.

Visa to the rescue
Knowing how rampant this scam is, Visa decides to terminate some 100 merchants’ credit card processing account recently. Online shoppers can find solace in the fact that Visa is stepping up on their security measures so that consumers will not be scammed by such unscrupulous tactics again. Visa group president William M. Sheedy says that Visa has been hot on the tail of unethical merchants since summer and will continue to wipe out such merchants before more customers get scammed, especially with the approaching holiday season.

So the next time you shop online, be aware of scammy looking acai berry or diet product scams.

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The scam Recently, it has been reported that merchants are facing a new threat in the form of unethical credit card processing salespeople. These salespeople resort to unethical methods in order to garner more sales. It is believed that this is a rampant occurrence in Springfield where a company hires people to “force” merchants into switching their credit processing companies. Banks and credit card issuers who found out about this claim that these acts are not illegal but merchants are crying foul over the lack of ethics displayed by the salespeople in question.

Getting a foot in the door Why unethical, you ask? Consider this: Samantha Rushing, who owns a tanning salon, nearly got scammed recently when she picked up a call from a woman who claims that she was representing Visa and MasterCard. She claims that the person at the other end of the line purportedly said that the salon owner’s terminal was overcharging customers. Not believing her in the least, Samantha tried to end the conversation but the sales representative was adamant in visiting her establishment to check out her terminal. When she arrived, they couldn’t find a single problem with her credit card terminal but the salesperson tried vehemently to persuade her in changing her credit card processing company.

Be warned Along with Samantha, many other merchants have been inundated by calls and not-so-friendly visits from credit card processing companies. Authorities warned merchants not to fall for this trick and instead, asked them to be on high alert for such shady individuals. They should also be doubly careful about those who tamper with their terminals or try to use scare tactics in order for merchants to sign up with their credit card processing company. Merchants should also be wary about being forced into signing a contract they have not read or rushing headlong into something they are unsure of.

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