Who doesn’t want more money? The internet seems like a quick, easy way to get more money. The internet is a quick, easy way to to get scammed. In person, you might recognize a smooth talker who just wants to get your money. But on the internet, when you can’t read body language or the tone of someone’s voice, you kind of half to read between the lines. My philosophy is to be skeptical of everything because nothing good comes so easily.

Money Scam #1 – The Arabian Prince Who Can’t Move His Cash

This scam comes in a few different forms, usually email or instant messenger, but it has been known to be posted on message boards and private messages on forums. A prince or some other foreign elite is interested in coming to the United States, but for some reason or another can’t move his money. So, he wants to send you a check, have you cash it, then wire it to him, keeping some of it.

After you’ve wired the money, the check bounces, and the bank (and sometimes the police) comes after you for cashing a fake check.

Don’t cash checks from people you don’t know.

Money Scam #2 – You Won a Prize, Just Send Money For it

These email scams claim that you’ve won a prize, but you need to send money for some kind of taxes or handling fees. Happy to have won something, you send the money, but never receive a prize. You guessed it, you’ve been scammed.

If you’re not the type to enter contests, then it should be a no-brainer that you haven’t won any prizes. Not only that, any taxes you have to pay will go to the IRS.

Money Scam #3 – Make Money At Home, But Send Money First

There are quite a few variations of the “make money at home scam” but they all cater to people who are interested in working from home. The scam convinces you of a program where you can make money from home, but first you have to send money from a starter kit or an informational booklet. You send the money, but never get anything back.

Other work at home scams ask for your personal information – name, address, social security number – then use it to get loans and credit cards in your name.

Another version of the work at home scam requires you to receive, repackage, and reship packages, sometimes involving illegal goods. You have to use your own money to reship the packages and if the authorities figure out what’s going on, you’ll be in trouble. Both the original shipper and the recipient will disappear.

Use Your Common Sense

Remember what I said earlier, there’s no easy way to get money. If something seems to good to be true, it probably is. When you’re wondering whether something is a scam or not, use the internet to do some research. Trust your intuition and skip out on money making mechanisms that just don’t seem right.