50P-SCAMMED BR

Don’t get trapped! 3 Ways people are trying to steal your money

What’s the one thing we always need, but never seem to have enough of, especially as college students? Money.

Money is important and people always want more. Most of us work for our paychecks or have awesome parents who help us out in times of need. Though we work hard for our money, there are some people who don’t and they’re just waiting for you to fall for the scheme they set up to get your hard-earned cash.

We often hear of people falling victim to financial scams. They lose thousands and thousands of dollars. But what do the scams look like? How do financial scammers get people to fall for them? Well, a lot of them prey on your good nature and desire to help people in need.

The phony phone call. Most of the time you will receive an email, or sometimes (less likely) through a phone call someone will claim to be a long-lost relative that needs help. They’ll say they are hurting financially and will ask for money with the promise that they will pay you back as soon as they get back on their feet. The catch? You’ll never see that money again, and if you fall for it once, they might try again.

The secret shopper. Who doesn’t love a shopping spree? This little trick varies between instances, and sometimes it gets way out of hand. Essentially, you’ll receive a check in the mail along with a survey, with the instructions to go shopping and spend it all and then fill out the survey. Sometimes companies actually send things like this out, but so many times it is just a very smart person who gets an innocent person to fall for their scheme. The worst part of this is the fact that you end up losing more than was initially given. The check often times bounces, and then you owe that money, plus however much you spent.

The online purchase. Ever been shopping online, in places like eBay, and see a deal that seems too good to be true? Well, it probably is. This can go one of two ways. If you are the shopper, and you see something that you purchase, there is a chance that you never receive your item and then you’re out that amount of money. The next one is a little trickier. If you’re selling something, watch out for scammers. Basically, if you’re selling something — say it’s a guitar or something — maybe you’re asking for $300-to-$500 dollars. You’ll find a buyer, and they send you a check for $1000, which is far more than you asked. So you send him the guitar and are happy with the deal. A few days later, you go to deposit the check and the teller at the bank tells you the check is a fake. So now you have just given your item away for free and might have to pay some fees at the bank.

A lot of this may sound like common sense, but in the moment it’s really easy to fall for scams. These are just a few examples, and there are countless others that are happening every day. If you’ve fallen victim to one of these schemes, there are resources out there to help you. Be smart, and be careful. People always want to get at your hard-earned cash, and you are the first line of defense against that.

zrogers2222@icloud.com