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Know
who you’re dealing with.
If the seller or charity is unfamiliar, check with your
state or local consumer protection agency and the Better
Business Bureau. Some Web sites have feedback forums,
which can provide useful information about other people’s
experiences with particular sellers. Get the physical
address and phone number in case there is a problem later.
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Look
for information about how complaints are handled.
It can be difficult to resolve complaints, especially if
the seller or charity is located in another country. Look
on the Web site for information about programs the company
or organization participates in that require it to meet
standards for reliability and help to handle disputes.
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Be
aware that no complaints is no guarantee.
Fraudulent operators open and close quickly, so the fact
that no one has made a complaint yet doesn’t meant that
the seller or charity is legitimate. You still need to
look for other danger signs of fraud.
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Don’t believe promises of easy money.
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or
no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad
credit, or make money on an investment with little or no
risk, it’s probably a scam.
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Understand the offer.
A
legitimate seller will give you all the details about the
products or services, the total price, the delivery time,
the refund and cancellation policies, and the terms of any
warranty.
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Resist pressure.
Legitimate companies and charities will be happy to give
you time to make a decision. It’s probably a scam if they
demand that you act immediately or won’t take “No” for an
answer.
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Think twice before entering contests operated by
unfamiliar companies.
Fraudulent marketers sometimes use contest entry forms to
identify potential victims.
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Be
cautious about unsolicited emails.
They
are often fraudulent. If you are familiar with the company
or charity that sent you the email and you don’t want to
receive further messages, send a reply asking to be
removed from the email list. However, responding to
unknown senders may simply verify that yours is a working
email address and result in even more unwanted messages
from strangers. The best approach may simply be to delete
the email.
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Beware of imposters.
Someone might send you an email pretending to be connected
with a business or charity, or create a Web site that
looks just like that of a well-known company or charitable
organization. If you’re not sure that you’re dealing with
the real thing, find another way to contact the legitimate
business or charity and ask.
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Guard your personal information.
Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number
unless you are actually paying for something. Your social
security number should not be necessary unless you are
applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone
claiming to be from a company with whom you have an
account asks for information that the business already
has.
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Beware of “dangerous downloads.”
In
downloading programs to see pictures, hear music, play
games, etc., you could download a virus that wipes out
your computer files or connects your modem to a foreign
telephone number, resulting in expensive phone charges.
Only download programs from Web sites you know and trust.
Read all user agreements carefully.
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Pay
the safest way.
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online
purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never
get the goods or services or the offer was misrepresented.
Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes
unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card
issuers will remove them completely if you report the
problem promptly. There are new technologies, such as
“substitute” credit card numbers and password programs,
that can offer extra measures of protection from someone
else using your credit card.