Seven Ways To Protect Yourself From Getting Scammed On the Internet

by Kristi Sayles

1. Get a free custom-designed website for a 30-day trial period, with no obligation to continue! Sound familiar? It sounds too familiar to many who have been charged on their telephone bills for offers they never accepted! The FCC says this type of fraud is becoming all too common. Be choosy about who you give out your personal information to. Review your telephone charges regularly. Don't be too shy to challenge all charges that you don't recognize.

2. Don't fall for the Nigerian Sad Stories. The one I got was so interesting, I emailed the guy back to see if I could get more information. It sounded like a great story for a magazine article! He wanted me to give him my phone number and to meet me. I refused and told him to get lost. I later read that some people weren't so smart-some lost loads of money in exchange for empty promises of millions! Those who agreed to meet? Never seen again.

3. Don't go for the chain letter millions. Just because you hear of a kid making thousands, doesn't mean that it's legit. Just ask those whose tried it. I confess. Nada. Zilch.

4. Check out invention promotion firms. My sister created the most adorable invention once. She paid thousands to an invention promotion firm. The invention is still not patented. It has been long forgotten. In reality, few inventions make it to the marketplace and still fewer become commercial successes. Investigate the company before making any commitments. Call your Better Business Bureau. You can call the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office at (703) 557-4636 and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) at 1-(800)-827-5722.

5. Keep copies of everything. Make and date notes of every telephone call that has to do with a business deal. Write down everything you can remember about previous calls. Get in the habit of writing down the names of people you talk to. Keep good records. Just the other day, my husband noticed that a deposit of $200 wasn't showing up on our bank statement online. We called and found out that they had NO record of the deposit. If my husband had not kept the deposit receipt, we would have lost that money.

6. Don't you just love Paypal? I do! I love the convenience it offers! But...the other day I received an email that seemed to be from Paypal. It stated that I should immediately go to the site provided and login to my account. I am glad that I noticed something very important! The URL was not Paypal's! It said, "www.paypalsys.com." If I had logged in there, I would have given away the bank-literally! Paypal will not contact you and ask that you verify information.