How To Spot The Scam A Mile Away

The world is a large place and there are honest people and tricksters. It will not change and if it ever does that is in some long future time. Since what we have is the ‘now’, we might as well learn how to live in it. You will always find a bad apple among men and all you can do is to try to avoid them or at least protect yourself from the frauds.

The internet is an intricate part of the world right now and as we move on it is possible that every aspect of our lives will have a part in the digital world. With such codependence between the people and the internet it only reasonable that the darker and scummy side of humanity creeps on to the internet.

Yes, you will find scammers who are so adept at human manipulation that you will fall for the fraud the very first time if you cannot spot them. If you have had a run-in with a scammer in real life, you know the telltale signs. Not only does the scammer know how to lure them, but also how to set you up so that you always take the bait. The trick lies in blinding you to the fraud by the promise of huge returns. Yes, most of you have had that line before and you know what comes next. A scam!

You have probably read on numerous posts and even videos that sensitive information like your contact and bank details are risky to flaunt on the internet. A scammer will probably try to rip you off by your details first. Another route lies when purchasing online products and feeling that you have had a bad deal. Yes, you know the anger that comes after and ten you swear never to do online shopping and so on. This is why you need to know the telltale signs.

Signs That It Is a Scam

Never make the mistake of thinking that you are smarter than the scammer, many have paid for it with their bank accounts and hard earned money. As earlier mentioned, the first sign of a scammer is when they ask for your personal details. Well, that is not the only way to defraud an unsuspecting online user. Another more subtle way lies in affiliate marketing scammers who seek to take from you slowly or sell fake products.

Below are some pointers that you are walking into an online swindle. Most of these you only need to take a moment and look at the offer to notice the fraud in play.

1. A Deal Too Good

You probably heard it since you were young, read it from other blog posts, hear it on videos but I will still repeat it. When the deal is too good to walk away. Do you ever wonder how the scammers remain in business even with people knowing what to look for? Yes, they dangle a very juicy carrot and rip off more of your own stash of carrots.

Most people are always looking for a shortcut to big returns and the next good deals. With this knowledge, the tricksters know what to use as bait. If you are easily excitable about shortcuts, you will probably fall for it.

2. Do Not Be In A Rush

Most people loose reason when they are in a rush or think they just landed a very good deal. The trick lies in creating a sense of urgency about the purchase or opportunity. Yes, you have heard that ‘only fools rush in’. It might be a cliché but it will be the statement that you remember as you moan your losses.

Most scammers blind you with the promise of short-term gains and blind you to the extra costs or the possibilities of losses. An example is when you buy a program online for twenty dollars but later discover you need to but an additional product for fifty dollars for the first product to work. This may skip your attention when you are in a rush to but the first products. Lesson? Stop and think before you rush off to make purchases.

3. You Cannot Reach The Seller

It is probably a trap if you cannot reach the seller from the contact provided on the website. This is one very huge red flag when making purchases online. You need a guarantee that if an issue arises with the products you can call for assistance or at least sends a message. If the contact information does not check out, you had better be careful or better yet run for the hills.

4. The Extra Purchases

If you have to buy an additional product for your first product to work it is an up-sell and that is a fraud. You need to have full information about the whole package and the extra items before the purchase in order to make up your mind. Avoid any cases of up-sells because it is possible that by the end you will have used up more than initially intended.

5. Flashy Sale And Luxury

Most scamming affiliate marketers will try to blind you with pictures of wealth and luxury in order to entice you into buying products or subscriptions you do not need. Flashy cars and huge mansions are the glitters and you need a discerning eye to see the fraud behind the glare.

6. Slow Progress

Most businesses know that they need to think about the long term and not just the short-term gains. With this in mind, you will probably find an online course that drags on for weeks or months. In most of these cases, you find that you can actually take the course in a week or a single month at most. This is probably a way to keep you engaged for longer while ripping you off subscription fee.

There you have it, six pointers on how to spot a scammer a mile away on the internet. The emphasis always lies in caution when dealing with other online users. A determined scammer will probably get a good bunch of unsuspecting internet users, you do not have to be one of them.