General29.01.2010

Tips to Avoid Email Scams

Online Email Scams and How to Avoid Them

The Internet makes it easier to accomplish many things – banking, research, travel, and shopping are all at our virtual fingertips.

Yet, just as the Internet makes it easier for legitimate pursuits, it also makes it easier for scammers, con artists, and other online miscreants to carry out their virtual crimes – impacting our real life finances, security, and peace of mind. Some email users have lost money to bogus offers that arrived as spam in their in-box.

Con artists are very cunning; they know how to make their claims seem legitimate. Some spam messages ask for your business, others invite you to a website with a detailed pitch.

These Tips, offered by Idendego Inc., can help you avoid spam scams:

1. Protect your personal information. Share credit card or other personal information only when you’re buying from a company you know and trust.

2. Know who you’re dealing with. Don’t do business with any company that won’t provide its name, street address, and telephone number.

3. Take your time. Resist any urge to “act now” despite the offer and the terms. Once you turn over your money, you may never get it back.

4. Read the small print. Get all promises in writing and review them carefully before you make a payment or sign a contract.

5. Never pay for a “free” gift. Disregard any offer that asks you to pay for a gift or prize. If it’s free or a gift, you shouldn’t have to pay for it.

While some consumers find unsolicited commercial email – also known as “spam” – informative, others find it annoying and time consuming. Others often find it expensive: They’re among the people who have lost money to spam that contained bogus offers and fraudulent promotions. The best defense is to protect your personal information as best you can and to delete—unopened—unsolicited SPAM e-mail.

Online scams are alive and well and are very big business in today’s world. “As the economy makes a downward turn, more people are going to become victims of scams not only because there are more con artists, but desperate people make excellent targets for tricksters.It is best to protect yourself and be aware of what is going on around on the Web.The Internet is a dangerous place. But if you know how to keep yourself safe, your chances of getting scammed are slim”, Says Alena Pastuch.

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