“App to Avoid Scams”
The scammers are finding their match, with new apps that are coming to market.
For sure, I am not the only one that is getting emails that I have just inherited millions of dollars. Well, I couldn’t help myself and decided to have a little fun. Look, two can play at this game.
I responded to one of these email and asked what I needed to do to get my money. An email came back to me in a few moments and told me, that I had to send a check for $17,000 to handle all the processing. They also wanted wiring instructions to my account so that the money could be sent.
I waited a few days and then sent an email, stating that I had made an error and mistakenly sent a check for $47,000 instead, so as soon as they get it, to please send a check back for the $30,000 over payment.
That was a year ago and I have yet to hear from them.
An App That Helps You Avoid Scams
This free smart-phone application provides information on more than 550 scams worldwide.
By Cameron Huddleston, Kiplinger.com
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You get a letter stating that your bank has moved your home loan to another servicing company. The letter looks official and there's a number you can call for more information. You contemplate calling, but you're worried that it might be a scam. There's an easy way to find out if it actually is.
You can go to the Scam Detector site or download the free iPhone app for information about more than 550 scams worldwide. An Android version of the app is also available.
Scam Detector makes it easy to search for scams by category: auto, face-to-face, Internet, telephone and travel. When you click on a category, you'll get a list of scams, with detailed information about each one and tips on how to avoid it. You also can submit a scam. And if you're a victim of a scam, you can use the app to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
Scam Detector also partners with the Better Business Bureau to provide a weekly list on its site of the top ten scams. Sorin Mihailovici, founder of Scam Detector, says that he is working to implement the weekly top-ten list on the app soon.
Mihailovici created Scam Detector, which is based in Alberta, Canada, because his best friend lost $30,000 to Nigerian scammers. They offered Mihailovici's friend a chance to invest in a project, flew him to Amsterdam for a "world partners" meeting, squeezed as much money out of him as they could over an eight-month period then cut off communication with him. After the incident, Mihailovici wanted to help others avoid becoming victims. He launched the app in 2011, and it has 2 million users worldwide
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