Great Tips on How to Avoid Phone Scams

This thing is not Funny at all that even if a person has installed with the special services of "do not call" registry, that poor soul may still receive numerous calls on his land line or his cell phone from an unknown person or a computer that has dialed the number randomly. Phone scams are the easiest and most effective way of playing on with your nerves nowadays. All types of frauds, cheating, theft online and from credit card robbing to anything else is committed behind the curtain of phone scams.

A common scam now a day is one in which people receive calls from unlisted numbers telling them that their vehicle or any electrical appliance warranties are about to expire, and this is their final chance and warning to act. As these are random calls, it doesn't matter whether it's faking the reality or not. Many people receive calls regarding car license expiry, where they don't even have a car. It is ridiculous and annoying at the same time.

Some people are of the opinion that the federal do-not-call list, should work with state and local authorities. In simple words everything and every number will be tracked down so as not a single call can be unknown and without identity. This will help in finding the scam artists and cease them from damaging social and personal lives. Unwanted and random calls are the source of these scams, and once they are blocked there is no way that these scam artists can violate your privacy again.

A few such scams are given here.

o Phone card Fraud

o Phone travel scams

o Credit card scams

Such scam artists/thieves/robbers use some simple psychological tips to make you an easy prey.

1. "You have won a huge prize and all you need to do is just give us the processing fee"

This is the most common and tricky types of scam where most people cant resist themselves and here greed and psychology pays a big part.

2. "We are offering an exciting package for such downsized amount etc"

In this case, usually the scam artists uses an unknown company and this is the fault point in this phone scam, if people can identify the company then there is no use of having any conversation at all.

3. "You won a lottery and now we need your credit card number to verify your address/name etc"

Such type of scam is a bit difficult yet very effective as even out of 1000 tries, if a single credit card number is accessed, it is enough to make the day.

The list can continue forever but there are some important things to realize first. Firstly, one must not forget that the biggest responsibility lie on our shoulders. We should be careful and very observing in our dealings with unknown or even suspicious people on phone. We require intense and extreme care when dealing with unsolicited telephone calls. If their exciting offer sounds as though it is something we might be interested in, we should check the company's whereabouts and registration first. By being careful, we kill the 50 % chance of being cheated on phone. Your money and your time is most precious thing along with your peace and this should not be given away by such phone scams.

A Good Scam Never Dies

One very important lesson I have learned, is that a good scam never dies. It just lives on and on. I sure can't explain it. You would think that a scam would run its course, steal from as many people as possible over a short time, and be done before the law gets too close. For some scams, that's not true.

Is the old saying by Will Rogers the most likely reason for it. There's a sucker born every minute. What a cruel thing to say. But what else can explain it. And is this a true statement? We try to figure out what it is that makes us do the exact thing's that we know are wrong. Does that make us a sucker?

You know, that feeling you get when you send some money to someone you don't know, hoping that whatever it is you send that money for, is real. You think to yourself, boy, I just hope this works, or, I am stupid for doing this. Does that make us a sucker?

And you would have to think that the thief that is running the scam, has to get caught up to. Let's say you read an ad, and it says to send $ 49.99, and start to make $5,000 a week within 30 days. You see this and you just laugh. What a scam you say. Then you just go on with what you were doing and forget it. A month later, you see this same ad again and think, man, that ad is still running. What a joke. Then, you just continue on to whatever it is that you were doing, and forget about it. Then maybe a couple more months go by, and you happen to see this same ad. Now you start to think. IS THIS A SCAM?

Unfortunately logic does not fit. Your beginning to think that maybe there is something to this. How can this still be running if it were a scam? They can't be running this ad over and over if it was a scam. Right? Can they?

I know there is law enforcement agencies that scour the Internet looking for scams, and tracking down the thieves that run them. If this is still running, there must be some truth to the ad. Now, you begin to think, hey, maybe it is real. Maybe this is the one that will work for me. I don't want to miss out on something good. I don't want to miss my opportunity to make the income that I've been looking for.

So, guess what? Yup. You do it. You send your money and you get the info that you sent your hard earned money for, and then it hits you. And it hits you hard. Like a brick. A scam! Why the heck did I do it? Am I stupid? Why did I do it. I know better than that, don't I?

Does knowing better really help? NO. Why? It's simple. Because I still went ahead and did it. Even though I knew better. What a fool. A sucker. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb. Who is to blame? Is there someone to blame? I guess we need to put on the brakes and hold up and think it out.

So, you start to think, really think. Am I stupid? Can it be that all these so called scams that I have spent so much money on , over the years, not be scams? Can it be that it's been ME all along. Can it be that most, if not all the program's and business opportunities, that I have spent so much money and time on over the years, been REAL?

Is it that I'm just not smart enough to make money from home. Or, not cut out to run my own business. Maybe I'm not looking at it the way I should. Could it just be too hard for me to follow the instruction's, and direction's I'm told to, in order to succeed? Maybe there is no explanation. Maybe what will be will be. And just maybe, I am a sucker that was born in that minute.

My name in Don Paquin, known as Poppss online. I've been online for over 10 years and have run into more scams than I care to remember. I created a blog and included some of the scams that I ran into. I must love to be punished, because it seems that I have run into one scam after another. I have much more than original articles of my experience. I have included some personal stories, affiliate programs that I researched, and links to my other blogs. I am as honest as I can possibly be about all the articles I write, and all the information that I include in the content. I only write about my personal knowledge on the subject of scam's.

Are Most Home Based Businesses Scams?

You've probably heard that most home based business opportunities that you find on the Internet are scams. There are a lot of scams on the Internet, but very few of the home based business opportunities are scams.

Don't get me wrong. A lot of the home based business opportunities you find on the Internet should be viewed with extreme caution because they try to make you believe that you will earn a six figure income with very little effort and no training, but I wouldn't classify them as scams.

A scam is a deliberate attempt to dupe, deceive, or trick you into believing something is real when the scammer knows that it is not.

One of the most famous scams is The Nigerian Advance Fee Scheme. It involves the receipt of an unsolicited letter purporting to come from someone who claims to work for the Nigerian Central Bank or from the Nigerian government. In the letter, a Nigerian claiming to be a senior civil servant will inform the recipient that he is seeking a reputable foreign company into whose account he can deposit funds ranging from $10-$60 million which the Nigerian government overpaid on some procurement contract.

The goal of the scam artist is to delude the victim into thinking that he or she has been singled out to participate in a very lucrative -- although questionable -- arrangement. The intended victim is reassured of the authenticity of the arrangement by forged or false documents bearing apparently official Nigerian government letterhead, seals, as well as false letters of credit, payment schedules and bank drafts. The scam artist may even establish the credibility of his contacts, and thereby his influence, by arranging a meeting between the victim and "government officials" in real or fake government offices.

Once the victim becomes confident of the potential success of the deal, something goes wrong. The victim is then pressured or threatened to provide one or more large sums of money to save the venture. For example, an official will demand an up-front bribe or an unforeseen tax or fee to the Nigerian government will have to be paid before the money can be transferred. Each fee paid is described as the very last fee required. The scheme may be stretched out over many months.

That is the sort of scheme I think of when someone says that something is a scam.

I have not found any home based business opportunities that are such blatant scams. The problem is that many home based business opportunities lead you to believe that what you are seeking can be achieved much quicker and more easily than is likely. They are not scams because what they say is possible, but it is highly unlikely.

Leo Saraceni, a home based business expert, notes that two types of people buy into the hype or the scam:

"1) the excited, impulsive, no-previous experience entrepreneur: he/she will buy into the hype, even after researching basic things like the Business Bureau, put their heart into the business for about a month, get overwhelmed by the fact that they're actually running a business that they know nothing about, and quit.

Those folks turn around and classify their experience as a scam - they populate scams[dot]com simply to try and "get back" at the company

"2) the opportunity seeker, looking for immediate gratification: those are the people that really get scammed because they believe some banker in Hong Kong is going to transfer a TRILLION dollars into their account if they just give them $100."

So, what should you conclude?

Most home based business pitches are full of hype, but that doesn't make them scams. You should take the hype with a grain of salt. Do what lawyers call "due diligence". Find out all you can about the company, its products, the company founders, its markets, and its compensation plan. Try to talk with its distributors to see what success they have had and how long it took them to achieve it.

If I can be of any help with your "due diligence", don't hesitate to email me.

Howard Berger is a Caltech PhD with a long and successful career as a business analyst and entrepreneur. He is an authority on network marketing systems for home based businesses. After an exhaustive search of home based business opportunities, he has chosen a business that combines the best of MLM and Direct Sales.

Herbalife Scam - Does a Herbalife Scam Really Exist?

Beware the Herbalife Scam! That is a phrase that many an aspiring entrepreneur will hear from a well meaning but ignorant relative or friend when starting up a home based business for the first time.

The Herbalife scam is not a new phenomenon! The fact is that a 'scam' of any kind has been around longer than Herbalife has even been around!

How can that be?

Well it is like this... Scams only exist in the minds of those who have not researched, investigated, probed and done due diligence or their homework on the subject that that they are interested in.

It is true that there ARE scams that exist, but they are only scams AFTER you have been caught by them.

Do you get what I mean?

"It sounds too good to be true, then it probably is," is not a scientific analysis and so your opinion should not be based on this conclusion.

As Tim Sales once remarked... "If it is too good to be true then is that any reason to stop looking?"

The answer is 'of course not!'

The phrase the Herbalife Scam is not just reserved for Herbalife... it is used to describe ANY product or service that you may be interested in where a relative or friend or salesman has a vested reason to provide you with that opinion.

You see, anything is a scam if I were to just come out and tell you that it is. And it does not take a rocket scientist to tell you those words either... "it's a scam!" Any person can say that but it takes a real insider, a real go-to man, too know the real truth about whether something is a scam or not.

In fact, scams have been around since man first decided he would trade his 1 camel for his neighbours 3 goats and the man who got the camel felt that he lost out in the exchange.

Again... if you do your homework before joining or buying anything, whether it is a new home, a new car, a digital product or a calculator, you will not have that feeling that you have been taken and so you will not have been scammed.

Sure, the Herbalife Scam DOES exist! It exists in the minds of those who believed that they could get something for nothing. It exists in the minds of those who would rather spend time complaining about where they are in life then actually doing something about it.

Spend 5 minutes complaining and you just wasted 5 minutes!

If a Herbalife Scam really existed then how come Herbalife has 29 years of business success, is in 70 countries, has 100 million documented testimonials, Nobel Prize winning scientists, more millionaires than any other company or organisation on earth, is the official sponsor of David Beckham and the L.A Galaxy, is Listed on The New York Stock Exchange, has nearly DOUBLED its turnover from US$2Billion in 2004 to US$3.8 in 2008 and is the "Number 1 Weight Loss Company In The World"??

I could go on and on but the point is that for anyone interested in ANY home based business opportunity then they must do their due diligence and homework before joining ANY company and ANY team.

In the end there is no Herbalife Scam, only those who did not do their research and no matter what work from home business that you do join, your success will ALWAYS come down to 3 fundamental principles that will never change.

1) Marketing- Without an effective marketing strategy and system in place you will not have a business.

2) Mindset- To be truly successful at ANY business you MUST put yourself MENTALLY in the top 1% of the earners. You must think, talk, look and act like a leader.

3) Hard Work- I never knew ANYBODY who got to be successful and didn't have to work hard for it.

Common Work at Home Scams

Scams are every where online. Just about every where you go online you will find ads for so-called "easy and fast money" jobs. Anything that promises "easy money" or "big bucks part time" is full of it. Don't waste your time on something that promises fast and easy money because it's not going to happen.

Let's delve into the scams out there and then talk about resources you can use to research a company!

Common work at home scams to avoid

Typing "Jobs" - you can type in typing jobs in any major search engine and you'll pull up many of these so-called "jobs" typing for "easy" money. Most of the time you will pay a fee, and then they will send you information about how to place ads in local papers to "sell" this so-called job to others. This simply is not a "job" and it's nearly impossible to make a decent income with this. They post testimonials that are either made up or of successful internet marketers in order to persuade you into believing this is a great "job" for you.

Envelope Stuffing - I'm sure you've seen this one everywhere and might have fallen for it. I sure did. Not once, but twice! I thought, "Well the first company was just a scam but this one looks legit" and, yes, I was wrong. I got scammed by this little sucker twice! Please do not fall for this tempting "job". What you'll probably receive (what happened to me) for your "small fee" (which is usually how its worded) is a letter telling you to place that same "envelope-stuffing" ad in newspapers, magazines, online sites and anywhere else you can get your ad. The only way you will earn money is to pass on this scam to other moms who desperately want to work at home. There's no stuffing of envelopes involved. You simply pass on this scam to others and get paid by charging a fee...the same way it happened to you. Please don't fall for this HUGE waste of time and please don't pass this scam on to others.

Assembly/Crafting Scams- If you want to make money with assembly or crafting your best bet is to start your own business and sell your work online, locally and at fairs. The so-called jobs online for assembly or crafts are scams. Usually you will be required to buy supplies or a kit and then, after days or weeks of work, you would send in your work for payment. What usually happens is your work supposedly didn't meet the standards they have and they will either send it back for you to fix or they will keep it and not pay you. If you get the chance to "fix it" and send it back you'll again be told it didn't meet the standard. It's a nasty on going cycle and the end result is that you've wasted your hard earned money on the "kit" and you've wasted your valuable time for nothing.

Processing Government Refunds- Boy this one sounds pretty interesting huh? Yet another scam for you to avoid. What the meat of this scam? Basically you'll see ads that you can earn $500 to $1500 a week processing 3rd party government refunds via your computer. You are told that you'll get a list of people who might be home owners and might be entitled to a refund by HUD. They make you pay up to $300 (or even more) for this list. What you'll do is contact these people and try to get them to share the refund with you, BUT what they fail to tell you is these people can get refunds FREE by calling HUD themselves.

So, if you go through this list and find a few people owed a refund, phone them up and tell them why you're calling, one of three things will happen:

1. They will hang up on you

2. They'll listen to you, then tell you that their going to research this themselves. Doing so they will find out they don't need you and can get the refund on their own. Therefore you make nothing.

3. You find someone who actually takes you up on your offer. You "help" them get the refund they could have done on their own and you collect your portion. You've basically scammed that person out of all the money owed to them by withholding the fact that they can do this on their own and collect all the money.

Just stay away from this - it's bad for all concerned. And in fact, the HUD site warns people of these so-called "tracers" ... that the public can collect a refund without a "tracer."

Chain Letters- This usually guarantees you to earn large amounts of money with a one time small investment. (See the trend? Scams ALWAYS ask you for money.) The typical chain letter scheme usually requires you to mail the chain letter, along with a specified amount of money to six (or more) people. And then they must do the same. There just simply aren't enough people in the world to make this worth your time. AND, it's illegal! The post office says that chain letters are a form of unauthorized lottery and may violate federal mail fraud laws. They also warn not to waste your money! Read more about this at US Postal Service Inspection Services

Medical Claims Billing- I'm sure you've seen this everywhere and it may have caught your eye. This one caught my eye, but I was fortunate enough to meet someone who told me to stay away. The ad will usually state you can make tons of money part time doing "Medical Billing/ Claims Processing. The fee for the software and training can be as high as $7500 or even more. You supposedly get a list of doctors and sample letters in order to gain clients. Although this isn't necessarily the typical scam, it's not as easy (or possible) as they claim it to be. If you want to do this I would take a local class on Medial Billing (or an accredited online school) and then get an offline job doing this...then build your client list and make it home-based.

What have we learned from the examples above? If you have to pay a free, it's a scam, rip off or just not worth your time! So stay away from the above scams.

I would also like to discuss some common red flags to look for with any job offer.

They ask a fee - you should NEVER pay for a job

They claim it's easy work - a real job is never easy

They claim you can earn great money for little work - a real job will never claim you can make riches with little to no work.

They have testimonials about the "job" - a real job offer isn't going to need testimonials posted. Why would they? If they aren't trying to sell something to you, then they won't need to convince you that it's worth your time.

If it says "no kits, no fee's, not MLM...etc." - a real job isn't going to post that in their job ad. If you find a "job" advertised like that you can guarantee it's a business opp. or outright scam.

The words "No Experience Necessary" - although there are some jobs out there that don't require experience they often won't make that a big part of their ad (or at all) and usually you find this on scam ads.

A 900 number to call for more information - any legitimate company will call you or provide you with an 800 number. If they are a smaller company and don't have an 800 number, then if you inform then you don't wish to use your long distance to call them, they will usually call you.

Resources-

The Better Business Bureau

Web Assured ("Watch List" to see complaints on companies)

The Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Response Center

Scambusters - newsletter you can join too

The National Fraud Information Center

FTC Names Dirty Dozen Email Scams

The Federal Trade Commission is responsible for issuing and enforcing rules for consumer issues on the Internet. As part of this process, the FTC has published a list of the 12 scams you are most likely to receive as email.

The Dirty Dozen Scams

The "dirty dozen" are:

1. Business opportunities

These business opportunities make it sound easy to start a business that will bring lots of income without much work or cash outlay. The solicitations trumpet unbelievable earnings claims $1,000 a day or more without doing any work. Many business opportunity solicitations claim to offer a way to make money in an Internet-related business. Short on details but long on promises, these messages usually offer a telephone number to call for more information. In many cases, you'll be told to leave your name and telephone number so that a salesperson can call you back with the sales pitch.

The scam: Many of these are illegal pyramid schemes masquerading as legitimate opportunities to earn money.

2. Bulk email

Bulk email solicitations offer to sell you lists of email addresses, by the millions, to which you can send your own bulk solicitations. Some offer software that automates the sending of email messages to thousands or millions of recipients. Others offer the service of sending bulk email solicitations on your behalf. Some of these offers say, or imply, that you can make a lot of money using this marketing method.

The problem: Sending bulk email violates the terms of service of most Internet service providers. If you use one of the automated email programs, your ISP may shut you down. In addition, inserting a false return address into your solicitations, as some of the automated programs allow you to do, may land you in legal hot water with the owner of the address's domain name. There are also very strict rules, known as the CAN-SPAM Act, regulating bulk email marketing.

3. Chain letters

You're asked to send a small amount of money ($5 to $20) to each of four or five names on a list, replace one of the names on the list with your own, and then forward the revised message via bulk email. The letter may claim that the scheme is legal, that it's been reviewed or approved by the government; or it may refer to sections of U.S. law that legitimize the scheme.

The scam: Chain letters are almost always illegal and nearly all of the people who participate lose their money. The fact that a "product" such as a report on how to make money fast may be changing hands in the transaction does not change the legality of these schemes.

4. Work-at-home schemes

Envelope-stuffing solicitations promise steady income for minimal labor-for example, you'll earn $2 each time you fold a brochure and seal it in an envelope. Craft assembly work schemes often require an investment of hundreds of dollars in equipment or supplies, and many hours of your time producing goods for a company that has promised to buy them.

The scam: You'll pay a small fee to get started in the envelope-stuffing business. Then, you'll learn that the email sender never had real employment to offer. Instead, you'll get instructions on how to send the same envelope-stuffing ad on your own. If you earn any money, it will be from others who fall for the scheme you're perpetuating.

5. Health and diet scams

Pills that let you lose weight without exercising or changing your diet, herbal formulas that liquefy your fat cells so that they are absorbed by your body, and cures for impotence and hair loss are among the scams flooding email boxes.

The scam: These gimmicks don't work. The fact is that successful weight loss requires a reduction in calories and an increase in physical activity. Beware of case histories from "cured" consumers claiming amazing results and testimonials from "famous" medical experts you've never heard of.

6. Effortless income

The trendiest get-rich-quick schemes offer unlimited profits exchanging money on world currency markets; newsletters describing a variety of easy-money opportunities; the perfect sales letter; and the secret to making $4,000 in one day.

The scam: If these systems worked, wouldn't everyone be using them? The thought of easy money may be appealing, but success generally requires hard work.

7. Free goods

Some email messages offer valuable goods-for example, computers, other electronic items, and long-distance phone cards-for free. You're asked to pay a fee to join a club, then told that to earn the offered goods, you have to bring in a certain number of participants. You're paying for the right to earn income by recruiting other participants, but your payoff is in goods, not money.

The scam: Most of these messages are covering up pyramid schemes, operations that inevitably collapse. The payoff goes to the promoters and little or none to you.

8. Investment opportunities

Investment schemes promise outrageously high rates of return with no risk. Many are Ponzi schemes, in which early investors are paid off with money contributed by later investors. This makes the early investors believe that the system actually works, and encourages them to invest even more.

The scam: Ponzi schemes eventually collapse because there isn't enough money coming in to continue simulating earnings. Other schemes are a good investment for the promoters, but no for participants.

9. Cable descrambler kits

For a small sum of money, you can buy a kit to assemble a cable descrambler that supposedly allows you to receive cable television transmissions without paying any subscription fee.

The scam: The device that you build probably won't work. Most of the cable TV systems in the U.S. use technology that these devices can't crack. What's more, even if it worked, stealing service from a cable television company is illegal.

10. Guaranteed loans or credit, on easy terms

Some email messages offer home-equity loans that don't require equity in your home. Usually, these are said to be offered by offshore banks. Sometimes they are combined with pyramid schemes, which offer you an opportunity to make money by attracting new participants to the scheme.

The scams: The home equity loans turn out to be useless lists of lenders who will turn you down. The promised credit cards never come through, and the pyramid schemes always collapse.

11. Credit repair

Credit repair scams offer to erase accurate negative information from your credit file so you can qualify for a credit card, auto loan, home mortgage, or a job.

The scam: The scam artists who promote these services can't deliver. Only time, a deliberate effort, and a personal debt repayment plan will improve your credit. The companies that advertise credit repair services appeal to consumers with poor credit histories. Not only can't they provide you with a clean credit record, but they also may be encouraging you to violate federal law. If you follow their advice by lying on a loan or credit application, misrepresenting your Social Security number, or getting an Employer Identification Number under false pretenses, you will be committing fraud.

12. Vacation prize promotions

Electronic certificates congratulating you on "winning" a fabulous vacation for a very attractive price are among the scams arriving in your email. Some say you have been "specially selected" for this opportunity.

The scam: Most unsolicited commercial email goes to thousands or millions of recipients at a time. Often, the cruise ship you're booked on may look more like a tug boat. The hotel accommodations likely are shabby, and you may be required to pay more for an upgrade. Scheduling the vacation at the time you want it also may require an additional fee.

In Closing

Don't check your common sense at the door simply because you are surfing the web. If it seems to good to be true, it is. Don't fall victim to these scams.

Warning - EBay Scams To Watch Out For

There are many eBay scams out there to keep an eye out for when you are buying or selling on eBay. This article will cover some of the known and not so well known scams to be aware of. Whether you're a causal buyer or seller, or a professional on eBay, you need to know about these scams so that you can take measures to prevent or recognize if it's happening to you.

Bid Shielding - This scam is something you need to watch out for as a seller on eBay. Basically the scam is run using two separate eBay accounts. The scam works like this. You put your item up for auction. Let's say your item is worth $100 and you have no reserve. The first bidder (scammer) comes along and bids $5 on your item. Right after that, another bidder working with the first bidder comes along and bids $200 on your item. Since your item is only worth $100, you receive no more bids for the duration of your auction. Right before your auction ends, the first bidder backs out and cancels their bid, leaving the $5 bidder the winner, effectively shielding all other potential bidders because of the $200 bid.

Because of the potential for this scam it is always good to have a reserve on your auction. Also, I would put some sort of disclaimer on your auction stating that if you suspect bid shielding on your auction, you reserve the right to back out of the sale. It's always a good idea to keep an eye on your auctions and watch for this type of behavior. If you suspect this is happening to you, be sure to report the parties involved to eBay right away.

Wholesale List Scam - This scam takes advantage of the fact that many people don't pay close attention or read the fine print on an auction. This scam is targeted at buyers who are looking for deals on electronics and technological items on eBay. The wholesale list scam is basically an auction that looks like the seller is offering a great deal on a product like an iPod for example. They may have a buy now price of $40 for an iPod that is worth $150. However, if you actually read the fine print on the auction, you will find that you are not really buying the iPod. In fact you are purchasing a wholesale list.

To avoid this scam, just be sure that you read the entire details of the auction before making a bid or a purchase. Basically, just use common sense. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is, so read the auction carefully.

Bad Check Scam - This eBay scam is exactly what it sounds like. The bad check scam is simple. Someone purchases your item and sends you a check as payment. You receive the check, and send out the item. However, 2 weeks later you find out the check bounces and now you are out your item and the money.

To avoid this, simply do not send out any products until the check has cleared.

Spoof eBay Emails - This eBay scam is an attempt to get your personal information and/or eBay account information. Basically the scammer sends you an email that looks like it's from eBay. The email may direct you to a website (that also looks like eBay) where it asks to you verify your information. In reality, the website is created by the scammer to collect your personal information and use it for identity theft. The scammers can be very tricky and make everything look very official.

To avoid this scam, you need to be wary of any emails that you get. The first thing you need to check is the email header. Emails from eBay, will have "@eBay.com" as the last part of the senders email. Also any links that are in the email may be directing you somewhere other than where they say they are. Also copy and paste the links into your browser, and only visit official links that start with "http://www.eBay.com". If anything seems suspicious to you, forward the email to eBay and wait for their response. They will let you know if it's legitimate or not.

In conclusion, most people you run into on eBay are good honest people and not out to scam you. You may do business on eBay for years and never run into any of this. However, occasionally these things do happen so it's important to use common sense and use your best judgment when it comes to this stuff. Just be aware that it can happen, and take the necessary precautions and you will be fine. There's a lot of money to be made on eBay, so don't let anything scare you off. Keep yourself armed with knowledge and information and you will be successful out there in the auction world!

Jason Cooper (The Rebel Marketer [http://www.rebelmarketer.com]) is an accomplished online entrepreneur and has taught many clients and students about the lucrative world of Internet Marketing. Find out more about Jason at: RebelMarketer.com [http://www.rebelmarketer.com]. This article may be re-published in a newsletter, e-zine, website or anywhere as long as this resource box remains intact.