No matter how you look at it, 2010 was a struggle for many of us. With the unemployment rates soaring, home foreclosures on the rise and even an environmental disaster thrown in for good measure, it was a year of overcoming obstacles. One of the few groups that had a record-breaking year was scammers and dishonest businesses. As so many people looked for ways to get out of debt, save some extra money and find better jobs, fraudsters had a field day.
The Better Business Bureau released a list of the tops scams and rip-offs of 2010. And while some of these scams are perennial favorites, some of the new ones are a reflection of the tough economic year.
Here are the top 5 scams according to the BBB (in no particular order) :
- Job hunter scams – These are scams that target job hunters through a combination of phoney job ads and emails posing as recruiters. These scams attempt to get personal information like social security numbers, bank account information and may even charge a fee to be considered for the job.
- Debt relief and settlement services – While there are many legitimate debt relief services, these fraudulent companies require upfront fees and leave the consumers in even more debt. By gaining access to account information, the scammers can steal identities and/or create fraudulent charges to accounts already in trouble. According to the BBB, complaints about this sort of fraud increased 30% in 2010.
- Work from home schemes – Some of these work-from-home schemes advertise that they can teach you the secrets to making money online. Some say that you can make a great living as a mystery shopper. Some victims of this scam found out that their work-from-home job was actually a set up to sell stolen goods. The result is instead of getting paid thousands of dollar, you end up losing hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
- Timeshare resellers – The BBB says that complaints about this type of scam have increased over 40% this past year. People who are in financial trouble and own timeshares are eager to sell them and get rid of the extra expenses that vacation property can entail. The scammers tell the owners that they have an eager buyer, but that they just have to pay fees that can amount to several thousand dollars. After the fees are paid, the property owner never hears from the company again.
- The “Free” trial offers – Misleading free trial offers online for everything from diet supplements to penny auctions cause thousands of complaints each year. The offers seem no-risk but the consumers find it next to impossible to cancel them and continue to be charged every month.
Scammers work hard to find new ways to trick consumers into parting with their money or their personal information. There are some ways that you can protect yourself from being taken for a ride. When signing up for trial offers online, consider using a pre-paid, reloadable credit card that can be easily purchased wherever gift cards are sold. This way, if you don't have money on the card, the fraudulent monthly charges won't be accepted, and your bank account or credit card isn't affected. Also, if any job, sweepstakes, lottery, or purchase of an item you are selling asks you to wire money it is 100% guaranteed to be a scam. I don't care how much you want to make the deal, claim the prize or get the job, it isn't for real and you will be giving your money away to people who are the least likely to deserve it.
If you feel that you have been victimized by a scam, or just want to check a company out to see if other people have been ripped off by them, contact your local BBB or visit them online at BBB.org. Always research a business with the BBB before you sign a contract or hand over any money.
Are you looking for a job in Manufacturing? Be sure to visit ManufacturingWorkers.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!