I got the strangest email, unlike anything I’ve seen from Facebook, telling me that I have a message to pick up on the site, but not giving me any of the message. Then it included a weird URL at which I was supposed to log in (even though I am already logged in to Facebook) so I could pick up the message. I stopped and decided I’d check with Guru Dave. So, is it legit?
I am talking to a search engine marketing company that guarantees I will be placed in the top 3 sponsored positions on search engines. This sounds like a pretty good deal — should I go for it?
I was trying to sell an old laptop on Craigslist and got so confused trying to differentiate between legitimate and scam offers. For example, one guy from France offered to send me a money order and let me cash it before I sent out the computer, and was willing to pay more than I was asking. Another said he was happy to pay via Paypal if I just sent him my Paypal account ID. Were either of those legit? If not, how do the scams work?
I’ve just recently signed up for orkut and am wondering if the “friend requests” from people I have never bumped into before are legit or not. I’ve sent you the invite: can you tell me how to know whether it’s a phishing attempt before I actually click on a link?
I got a message from Paypal with the subject “Help PayPal to avoid any kind of fraud” but I’m a bit suspicious: is this a legitimate way that Paypal is trying to get my help to avoid online scams, or is it a scam itself?
I’m selling a lightly used home theater system on Craigslist and after a week of no activity and no interest I sudden got an email from someone who says they’ll pay full price plus a few dollars if I’ll accept a money order. Now obviously that’s suspicious, but I dunno, maybe it’s legit. Should I accept a money order as payment for stuff I am selling on Craigslist?
I got an email from an eBay buyer saying that he had a question for me about an auction, but it’s not an auction I’m running. Will I get into trouble with eBay if I don’t answer the question? I mean, I don’t really understand what’s going on?
My brother recently got a call telling him that he could get his tax refund that’s part of the economic stimulus package early – and not have to wait until May or later. He almost gave his savings account number, but then he got suspicious. Now he wonders. Is this a scam?
Yes, it’s a scam. Even before Congress passed the $170 billion stimulus package to boost the economy, scammers started calling people to get their bank account and credit card information, so they could steal money, identities, or both.
Some scammers even claimed that you would lose your refund if you didn’t give them your personal and financial information immediately.
This is just one of over 1,000 IRS scams that is currently circulating. With the tax season upon us, scammers are now pulling out all the stops to fool their victims.
Here are some of the most popular IRS scams that are currently making the rounds…
