Check Out Your Opportunities Carefully

Don't just go signing up for those offers you get via email!

If you've heard of the company and the return address contains the company's name or something quite like it, that's one thing. But, there are too many scammers out there eager to get their hands on your personal information. We've all seen the so-called Nigerian scam where you're told you will receive a large sum of money and all you need to do is send a one time fee in order to get the funds released. Well, that was child's play. Those folks were only interested in your money.

The new rage is a wave of email notices either informing you of a lottery win or presenting a job opportunity. Both of these ask for all of your particulars to verify who you are then, before you know it your identity is gone being carried off in their slick pockets.

A recurring theme here is that you don't get something for nothing and when you get an email from a lottery you've never heard of or job for which you never applied, an alarm bell should sound loudly.

Believe me, I know what it's like when you're down and out. Some of these things come popping into your life and deposit hope. The temptation is to sign right on up because you have so much need. All I'm saying is that you need to watch what you do first. Have you even heard of the company? Did you post a resume somewhere that they may have viewed it? How is it that the Australian Lottery has a UK or Netherlands return address?

I throw in that last one because I recently received a real live paper snail mail from the UK wherein there was a letter headed by an official looking banner with Australian flags, Australian Lottery in big bold letters, and a bunch of hopping kangaroos. Well kids, I've never bought a ticket for the Australian Lottery, it never occurred to me. A not-overly-close look told me that all the fancy printing was done on an ink jet rather than being professionally printed corporate stationery. And the biggest alarm bell of all, it said it was tax-free. If you've ever gotten as close to the IRS as I have then you'd know right off that no matter where a lottery was won the local government is going to want a sizable chunk before the ink's dry on the winner's notice.


Don't let desperation be your guide. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. That's not to say you shouldn't take a moment to look it over before you discard it. After all, couldn't we all use a little unexpected good fortune? With letters like I mention above I check out the Secret Service scams database. Or try to look up the company involved. It's not that I expected to really have won anything like that but hey, a spare $3.7 million US wouldn't be resented in my house!