25
Apr 2013

6 Warning Signs To Avoid Fitness, Diet, and Weight Loss Scams

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Just about every doctor, dietitian and fitness expert out there will say the same thing. If you want to lose weight and keep it off the best way is through a nutritional diet combined with exercise so that you lose one to two pounds a week. We all know this, we have had it ingrained into our heads for years; yet despite the scientific studies that support this theory people still easily fall for the countless weight loss scams that they see everywhere they turn.

As a society, we are used to doing things quick. We communicate by text message in short, and sometimes indistinguishable, words. We buy media directly from the device that plays it, and we scarf down fast food in the small gap of time we have between things we have to get done. So when it comes to diet scams that promote fast and easy weight loss we could say that we fall for them because we have made this a way of life.

Spotting the Scams

First of all, there are many supplements and diet programs out there that are not created with the sole purpose of making off with your hard earned money. Certain supplements do provide energy, nutrients and other beneficial elements that can help a person lose weight the right way.

It is important to understand, though, that simply taking supplements will not help you achieve your weight loss goals if you pound down a pizza and spend the afternoon napping on the couch. You need to be a part of your weight loss program, not the foundation of it.

No Exercise Needed

This brings us to the easiest way to spot a weight loss scam. If the diet, pill, drink, etc. promises you weight loss without having to exercise steer clear.

Most likely the product has you supplement meals with something that lacks essential nutrients and calories so you starve yourself. You will lose weight, however it is not a healthy weight loss and scams like this run the risk of causing you to binge eat.

Lose X pounds in X days

People are all different. A person who is obese that goes on a diet program will lose weight more quickly than someone who is only a 10 pounds overweight. Younger people will lose more quickly than older people.

People with the right genetics will lose weight at a faster pace than someone whose genetics cause them to carry excess weight. Get the picture?

Herbal Weight Loss

We are suckers for anything that claims to be natural or herbal. Guess what? Hemlock is both natural and herbal. What catches our attention is the belief that anything “natural”, “herbal” or even “organic” is automatically good for us.

Herbs and pills alone are not going to help you lose weight in the long term. Herbal and natural supplements can help you lose weight when combined with a healthy diet and proper exercise.

The Claims

Many of more common weight loss and diet scams make unnecessary claims. 100% safe is the biggest one to watch out for. Why are they even making that statement? Of course it should be safe, that shouldn’t be a selling point! While we’re talking about 100% another red flag is the outrageous percentages that they claim. Increase your strength 300%, lose 200% more than dieting and exercise, etc.

Another one that screams scam is Miraculous Breakthrough or Newly Discovered. But what really takes the cake are the testimonials from customers. It is really easy for a scam artist to write up some testimonials to throw up on their website to make things look legit.

It is false advertising, it is unethical, it is wrong but remember – these people are scam artists! It’s their job to trick you into handing over money for worthless junk. Oh, and just because they have a money back guarantee don’t think that your money is safe. Most of the requests for refunds are never honored.

Fitness Scams

It’s not only the diet scams that you have to watch out for. Plenty of fitness products are just as worthless as the other scams we mentioned here. Using the same claims, revolutionary products that promise results in as little as ten minutes a day should raise some serious questions.

Workouts require a sustained period of time for fat loss and muscle building. Six minutes spent with some weird contraption isn’t going to help you accomplish your goals, unless that goal is to lighten your wallet.

Avoiding these scams is not all that difficult if you keep your eyes open for the obvious warning signs. If you are unsure of a product or diet check with a medical professional before you make any purchase. They will be able to tell you what to expect and what the results should be.

 

Jeff covers fitness and healthy eating choices for Weight Loss Triumph. When he is not writing he can be found reading or coaching his kids’ sports teams.

Categories: Scams Tags: , ,
18
Feb 2013

Income Tax Return Scams – 5 Tips To Protect You When You File

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Well it’s tax time again, did you file your taxes yet? If you’ve got yours done already you are way ahead of the curve, but if  you don’t you may want to get them done sooner than later because tax scams have become a big problem especially over the last few years.

In fact according to CNBC the IRS expects pay out $21 Billion in fake tax refunds over the course of the next 5 years, which means income tax scams are a booming business for identity thieves.

How Do Tax Scams Work

Basic tax return scams work in many different ways but what typically happens is someone steals your financial details from your name, social security number, date of birth,  and who knows what else.  From here they file a fake return and submit it to the IRS.

What’s worse about this scam is that these scammers are literally untraceable, and in most cases you won’t know that anything is wrong until you go to file your taxes and they inform you that someone has already filed under your social security number.

Now you might be wondering how someone could possible get your information, and the reality is the possibilities are endless but here are few of the common methods these criminals will use in this particular scam.

  • Phishing Scams.  Phishing scams can come in all shapes in sizes but one of the most common ways they will steal your info is by sending you a fake email designed to look like it’s actually from the IRS claiming that someone is trying to steal your identity and that you have to verify your info.  
  • People In High Authority Places.  The other common way people are getting hit up by this scam is by people who are in higher authority places, such as accountants, who will try to change information on your tax return so you get a bigger return.  The problem with this is that it’s illegal for a tax professional to get paid by a percentage of your tax returns, or to falsify your tax returns.

The truth is your information is out there and someone could steal it.  Now I’m not trying scare anyone because their are some things you can do to protect yourself.

How To Protect Yourself From Tax Scams

Before I dive into the different kinds of tips I came across a great video that covers some great points about ways to protect yourself from these scams by MoneyTalkNews.com.

 

 

To summarize things a bit here are 5 key tips to protect when you file your taxes this year.

  • File Early – One way to prevent this from happening to you is to file your taxes early.  According to CBS News almost 25% of all people will wait till nearly the last minute. However by filing sooner it gives scammers less time to hack your tax return and steal your hard earned money. 
  • Beware of Fake IRS Emails - The IRS will never send you an email to confirm your personal information, in fact they don’t send emails at all.   This also goes with phone calls too. 
  • Don’t Alter Your Info - Another thing you’ll want to avoid is altering some of your tax info such as claiming you contributed more money to you retirement account or claiming you earned less than you really did.  On top of that never let your tax professional do this with your return either.  A lot of times they will want you to get a higher return for a cut in the profits.  Just remember it’s your name going on that tax return and you and the tax accountant will be held liable if it’s wrong.
  • Get A Copy Of Your Returns - Before leaving a tax professionals office make sure you get a copy of your return.  This can prevent theft and save you from a whole lot of problems if something were to go wrong.
  • Get Help – Finally, one of the best ways to keep tabs on your identity and protect it during this time of the year is to sign up with an identity theft program.  I’ve been a member of Lifelock for almost a year now and one of the things I like about this program is that they can scan thousands in not millions of databases looking for people who are misusing your information.  You can learn more about Lifelock Here.

What tips can you give that will help people avoid getting hit by tax fraud this year?

Categories: Scams Tags: , , , , , ,
12
Dec 2012

7 Christmas Scams And Mistakes You’ll Want To Avoid This Year

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Well it’s that time of the year again, the happiest time of the year some might say.  However while you are doing your Christmas shopping this year and out and about with with friends and family their are a few Christmas scams and mistakes to watch out for.  Below are a few of the ones I’ve witnessed and researched.

Getting To Social

This might sound odd but using sites like Facebook and Twitter could be putting you at risk. This recently happened in my town when someone was bragging on Facebook how she had just ordered a brand new iPad and that it was being shipped to her house.  What’s even worse is she even mentioned the day it was going to arrive.

The day the package showed up she went to open it and all that was in the box was the receipt.  The lesson here is that you should never mention what you are buying others for Christmas, much less when it’s showing up on your door step.  Being to social will only give criminals the head up and leave you high and dry.

Hide Gifts In Your Car

Back a few years ago I was shopping at a local mall and while I was walking through the parking lot I noticed how a few vehicles had gift blatantly sitting out that almost anyone could have seen.

Having gifts like this sitting out in the open makes you a prime target.  Instead bring a few blankets along to cover your gifts to keep prying eyes off of your car.  This is exactly what I do every year and I’ve never had any issues even when I’ve had to park in the very back of the parking lot.

Don’t Use Your Credit Card Till You Need It

Another valuable tip to avoid Christmas scams is to keep a close watch on your credit cards when your shopping.  With stores and malls being overcrowded it’s real easy for someone to catch a glimpse of your credit card number and do a little holiday shopping of their own with it.

This actually happened to my sister a few years back.  She was checking out at Walmart and the person in line directly behind her was uncomfortably close to her, but she didn’t think much about.  About a half hour after checking out she got a call from her credit card company saying that someone was making a lot of odd transactions with her card.  She quickly denied the purchase and things were fixed.

This brings me to my next point, shop with credit cards if at all possible.  I know that sounds weird because most people will tell you to pay in cash or with a debit card but the great thing about credit cards is that they have an identity theft program built right in them, so if someone tries to steel your credit card info or make false transactions with it they will take action quickly.

In fact I found this out just recently while shopping for some new appliances.  I had made an unusually big purchase and not even 20 minutes later the credit card company had me on the phone to confirm the purchase.

It’s nice to know that credit cards are at least good for something other than racking up debt.

Fake Emails

Another way Christmas scams are taking advantage of people this holiday is through email.  Email phishing scams are becoming very big on the internet, in fact PayPal has been a huge target of this scam.

However this doesn’t mean people will try to target you in other ways as well such as sending you fake emails that look legit from other companies such as Amazon.  This recently happened to my brother when he received a fake email from Newegg.com,  an electronics eCommerce site.

The email claimed that someone was misusing his account and made some transactions without his consent.  As a result they wanted to him to log in to his account which was obviously a fake link and change his log in details.

Luckily he never got scammed but the reality is if you’re not paying attention to what’s going on it can be real easy to get caught up in a scam like this during Christmas.

Fake Text Messages

Text messages can also be another way scammers could take advantage of you this Christmas.  Text messaging is being used by some retailers these days and it can be real hard to tell what a good text and what is fake text.

Now I’ll be honest I’ve never been hit by this type of scam nor do I know anyone who has been hit by this type of scam.  What I can tell you though is that these scammers are out there so be careful who you are taking text from, and if you don’t know them avoid them.

Bad Charities

Another way scammers are looking hit unsuspecting shoppers is by hitting them up with charities.  In fact, while I was shopping a lot of stores asked if I wanted contribute a few bucks   to their charity.  Now I’m not saying that stores that offer charities are bad, but what I am saying is that you will want to research these charities before you contribute.

For me I like to give to charities that mean something to me.  For example, I don’t mind giving to the American Cancer Society because I lost a brother to brain cancer and I also know this charity program is legit.  On top of that I also suggest that you research the charities you donate to before you give, this way you know what is legit and what is not.

Fake And Bad Gift Cards

Finally, the last Christmas scam to watch for is fake or even bad gift cards.  With gift cards becoming increasing popular with people, it’s also become very hot with scammers as well.

One way scammers have been hitting people up is by stealing the codes off of real gift cards. Then when you go to use the card you are left with nothing.  To avoid this scam make sure you check the card over carefully to make sure no one has tampered with it.

The other way scammers are taking advantage of people is by making actual fake gift cards that look and feel like the real thing.  Now if you are buying a gift card at your local store you should be fine, but never under any circumstance should you by a gift card from a third party or someone you do not know.  Chances are it could be a scammer looking to rip you off.

Share Your Story

Well their you have it the 7 Christmas Scams.  Now feel free to share your story about any of the scams I’ve mentioned above.  Also feel free to share any other scams you may have come across this season.  Finally, take some time to share this article on Twitter, Facebook, and Google + and help other avoid these awful scams.

 

Categories: Scams Tags: ,
05
Dec 2012

Scam Alert – Microsoft Phone Scam Hitting People Hard

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It seems as if scammers are never short on ideas to ripoff and scam people with.  Whether it’s phishing scams, email scams, or even more sophisticated scams such as  wifi sniffing.

However their is a new scam out that involves people with personal computers and Microsoft.  In this article I will cover what it is, how it works, and how you can avoid this vicious scam from ripping you off.

Microsoft Call Scam – What Is It & How Does It Work

The Microsoft phone scam is very simple but very destructive, it works like this.  A person claiming to work for Microsoft calls you and tells you that they’ve been notified that you’ve reported some issues with your computer.

Then then proceed to tell you that they would like to monitor your computer by having you download a special program which is really a virus.  From here they can track everything you do from logging into your bank accounts online, to what your post on social media sites.

On top of that they can build a profile on you to rip you off.  The worst part about this scam is that it’s not even considered identity theft until someone misuses your information.  In fact, some of these scammers are going as far as charging you to monitor your computer.

What worse is that it’s unknown how long it might be before a scammer decided to strike.  It could be a few days or even a few years but one thing is for sure, they will be watching you.

From my research  it also appears that these scammers have an Indian accent and most likely are coming from India.  Below is a video of an actual recorded call from one of these Microsoft support scams and what they exactly say.

 

How To Protect Yourself

When it comes to these kinds of calls it’s always hard to tell if it may actually be a real scam or not.  So here here are a few things you can do to protect yourself.

  • Don’t Open Any Emails.  If these scammer send you an email of any kind do not open it.  Even the simple act of opening a bad email could infect your computer with a virus or malware.
  • Get The Callers Name.  It’s very important when someone like this is calling you that you ask for their full name.  However go a step further and ask to talk to their manager.  A lot of times this will scare callers off, but if it doesn’t take down their name as well and the number they called from.
  • Don’t Give Them Any Money.  Whatever you do, don’t give these people any of your financial info.  Instead tell them you would like to think about it first and hang up.
  • Call The Real Company.  The easiest way to find out if a call from Microsoft like this is legit is to actually call Mircosoft.  However don’t call the number the scammer gives you, instead go to Microsoft’s actual website and call them and they will be able to tell you if it was a real call or just another scam.
  • Contact The Police.  In most case their is usually nothing the police can do about this since the scammer is in a different country.  However if enough complaints are filed the police will typically issue a warning on local news stations and newspapers.

Share Your Story

Did you get a Microsoft scam call?  Share your story below about how it went and what you did to protect yourself from these scammers.  Also take some time to share this article on Twitter, Facebook, and G+, to inform others of this terrible scam going around.

 

Categories: Scams Tags: , ,
26
Nov 2012

Cyber Monday Scams – Avoid Becoming a Victim

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2012 is forecast to be a record breaking year for Cyber Monday shopping, which means it will also likely become a record breaking year for Cyber Monday scams.

If you have an e-mail address, you’ve probably received at least one invitation to become a victim of Cyber Monday scams already. Shoppers lured by the temptation of great deals from trusted retailers might fall prey to the deal shopping mentality and be more willing to fall for these scams as the holidays pick up steam.

This is why criminals are so eager to take advantage of the shopping bonanza, and scams on Cyber Monday are proliferating. If Best Buy offers an HDTV for $600, you can bet that somewhere an identity thief is offering the same HDTV for $400, and Best Buy’s legitimate offer makes it seem possible that someone else could have a better deal.

So what can you do to ensure that you don’t miss out on a great deal, while avoiding becoming a victim of a Cyber Monday scam in the process? First of all, become familiar with the key ways to protect your identity online by reading Stumble Forward’s article How to Protect Your Identity Online. Next, familiarize yourself with these Cyber Monday scams and tips on fighting back.

Top Cyber Monday Scams of 2011

2011 was a record year for Cyber Monday scams simply because it was a record year for Cyber Monday sales. Both legitimate retailers and criminals were prepared to take advantage of the $29 billion that the National Retail Federation estimates shoppers spent on online purchases across November and December of last year. The following scams were especially pernicious.

  • iTunes Gift Certificate. This international scam informed shoppers that they had received a $50 iTunes gift certificate, and only needed to download an attached file to start spending the windfall. Unfortunately, the file was malicious, containing keylogging software for identity theft as well as code that hid programs and slowed the performance of infected computers.
  • Counterfeit goods. Last year, the Justice Department was prepared for Cyber Monday, and took down an estimated 150 sites offering counterfeit and knockoff products during the 24 hours of the Cyber Monday rush. Justice officials warn consumers to avoid sites with poor grammar, misspellings, and other errors that are key indicators of illegitimate businesses.
  • Failed UPS delivery. Shortly after Cyber Monday, an e-mail began circulating purporting to be from UPS regarding failed delivery of an order. Clicking a link or downloading a file to track the failed delivery resulted in nothing more than a free computer virus. The scam was so successful it’s still making the rounds.

2012 Cyber Monday Scams: Be On Guard

In addition to the three scams above, which are bound to be repeated this year, identity theft watchers and retailers are warning consumers about the following scams that are expected to reach record numbers of unsuspecting individuals this year.

  • Fake online storefronts. It is easier and less expensive than ever to launch a legitimate looking website with criminal intentions. These fake storefronts offer products at prices too good to be true, like $100 iPhone 5s, and either never deliver any product at all or deliver cheap foreign knockoffs.
  • Malicious e-cards and e-gift cards. Now that sending greeting cards and gifts online is an accepted practice, identity thieves are setting up free or reduced cost e-card sites. While your recipient might receive a card as promised, both you and the recipient will find your computers clogged with keylogging software and other nuisances in short order. If you shared your credit card information, you might also become a victim of identity theft.
  • Limited payment options. Identity thieves are catching on to the fact that wary shoppers are reluctant to use payment options like check and money transfer online. Criminals who want to force customers into using these less secure payments will try to convince consumers that the deal offered is only good if the retailer doesn’t have to pay credit card exchange fees, or use similar reasoning.

How to Protect Against Cyber Monday Scams

On Cyber Monday, most criminals will be after your credit card information. Learn more about how you can protect yourself against credit card fraud with Stumble Forward’s 6 ways to potentially avoid this crime, and follow these tips for extra safety against Cyber Monday scams.

  • Avoid shopping over wifi. If you’re using a wifi connection to do your Cyber Monday shopping, beware; identity thieves are becoming adept at exploiting new technologies to steal your credit information, and wifi is just one of the ways they do it. You can read about how criminals pull this off in Stumble Forward’s recent article on wifi sniffing and your risk.
  • Treat unsolicited emails with suspicion. Even if a Cyber Monday deal offer appears to come from a real retailer, be safe and navigate directly to the retailer’s website; avoid clicking on any emailed links. If it’s a special offer available only to select shoppers, you should be able to see the deal after you log in to the site manually. If you don’t already have a log in to a site offering such a deal, it’s most likely a scam.
  • Be secure. Not only should you have working anti-virus and firewalls in place, but you should also be careful to shop only at secure sites – those designated by “https” in the web address, rather than the standard “http” protocol. Moreover, you will be better protected if you use credit cards online, since credit cards have better fraud protection than debit cards do.

The final way to protect yourself against Cyber Monday scams is to avoid rushing into any deal. Considering the time and expense of a full blown identity theft incident, is it really worth it to save $50 or $100 on a product that you can buy elsewhere without the risk? Use common sense this Cyber Monday, and take a deep breath before committing with your personal information.

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