The con artist's philosophy is "the gullible
were put on this earth to be gulled." In the
past, con artists were usually referred to
as con men. This is no longer the case as
more and more women have become involved in
con games and numerous variations of con
games.
Before we
proceed with some tips on "how not to
get conned"
you should always remember that a conartist
can be a male or a female. In addition, many
times the con artist will work with a child
who will assist them in accomplishing their
goal. That goal is to GET YOUR MONEY.
Here are some good rules to follow all the
time - whether or not you suspect a fraud:
· Don't believe in something-for-nothing
offers. You get what you pay for.
· Be suspicious of high-pressure sales
efforts.
· Take your time; think about it before you
part with your money.
· Get all agreements in writing. Insist that
agreements be in plain English and not
legalese.
· Read all contracts and agreements before
signing. Have a lawyer examine all major
contracts.
· Beware of anyone who comes to your door
asking for money for charity or for personal
reasons.
HOME IMPROVEMENT FRAUD
Home repairs and improvements can be costly.
Watch out if:
· Somebody offers to do an expensive job for
an unusually low price
· If a firm offers to make a "free"
inspection or if the person just happened to
be in the neighborhood.
· The most popular home improvement frauds
are roof repair and painting, driveway
sealing, and termite inspection.
To avoid home improvement and repair fraud,
try the following:
· Always get several estimates for every
repair job, and compare prices and terms.
Check to see if there is a charge for
estimates.
· Ask your friends for recommendations.
Alternatively, ask the firm for references -
and CHECK THEM!
· Check the identification of all
"inspectors."
· Call the loan Consumer Affairs office or
the Better Business Bureau to check the
company's reputation before you authorize
any work.
· Be suspicious of high-pressure sales
tactics.
Pay by check - never with cash. Arrange to
make the payments in installments.
THE PIGEON DROP
A person approaches you and says that he
just found a large amount of money. What
should he do with it? Maybe his "boss" can
suggest something. He then leaves to check
with his "boss" and comes back a few minutes
later. His boss said to divide the money,
but first, each of you must put up some,
"good faith money". Once you hand over your
share, you'll never see it or the con artist
again.
Another twist on this is the person who
claims to have a winning lottery ticket
worth thousands or even millions of dollars.
They show you the ticket with the winning
numbers and what do you know, they actually
do match the winning numbers in the
newspaper. The only problem is they can’t
cash in the ticket themselves for whatever
reason (illegal resident status, too many
parking tickets, unpaid alimony, etc. or any
number of other reason) and if you’ll cash
in the ticket for them, they’ll split the
winnings with you.
All they need
is some good faith collateral from you so
they can trust you not to keep all the
winnings for yourself. So you give them some
money, jewelry or other valuables to hold on
to, and when you go to cash in the ticket,
wouldn’t you know it… it’s a fake winning
ticket. By the time you figure this out, the
con artist is long gone with your money.
THE BANK EXAMINER
A con artist will contact you and tell you
he is a bank official or police officer and
that he needs your help to catch a dishonest
bank teller. All you have to do is withdraw
your savings and give the money to him so he
can check the serial numbers. IF you do,
you've been "stung". A real bank official
would NEVER ask you to withdraw your money.
Is it hard to believe that people fall for
such tricks? Con artists may be the greatest
actors you'll ever meet. The pigeon drop and
the bank examiner schemes are two of the
most successful con games around. Don't be
fooled. CALL THEIR BLUFF BEFORE IT'S TOO
LATE.
