Scam and Spam

Avoiding scams and spam on the internet is a real challenge. myMotherLode.com is proud to have many local businesses who advertise with us. But the company that fills the extra ad spots did have a questionable advertiser slip through. The ad violated rules that are established to prevent spam. While you can trust the local advertisers on myMotherLode.com 100% I have collected some great advice for evaluating out of area offers and avoiding email offers and spam.

Ask your self these questions:

• Do you visit websites by clicking on links within an email?
• Do you reply to emails from companies or persons you are not familiar with?
• Have you received packages to hold or ship to someone you met on the Internet?
• Have you been asked to cash checks and wire funds to an employer you met online?
• Would you cash checks or money orders received through an online transaction without first confirming their legitimacy?
• Would you provide your personal/banking information as a result of an email notification?

For a list of internet trends and schemes with descriptions click here

For one current scam alert list check out LooksTooGoodToBeTrue

The Federal Trade Commission has also published a lot of information on their website. It includes this article: You’ve Got Spam: How to "Can" Unwanted Email It includes useful information about

• How to reduce the amount of spam that you receive
• What to do with the spam in your in-box
• and how to avoid spam scams
• Some of the most common scam offers that arrive by email including:

Chain letters


Work-At-Home Schemes


Weight Loss Claims


Credit Repair Offers


Advance Fee Loan Scams


Adult Entertainment

Tooth Whitening has also been exploited as a way to scam you out of your money! Some great advice:

"Tooth whitening products have been a huge target for scammers lately. The say their products have appeared on shows like USA Today, CNN, and MSNBC, when in fact this is a complete and bold-faced lie. Their sole purpose is to charge you money in violation of the terms and hope you give up on trying to get your money back.

To avoid scammers only buy products from reputable retailers and only buy reputable brands. If you're going to buy some unfamiliar brand online, then at least do some research first. However, I would really recommended talking to your dentist first. Your dentist is the mostly likely person to give you the truth about the best ways to whiten your teeth.

If you have bought something from a scammer, call them up and tell them you know they're a scam and you want your money back immediately. Be polite, but also be firm and tell them this is their one and only chance to refund your money before you talk to your bank, report them to the Internet Crime Complaint Center which is a government organization (Ic3.gov), and perhaps seek legal action. Don't accept any excuses that they can't refund your money, they can and they're just trying to stall you if they say they can't.

At this point they will probably refund your money because they don't want any legal trouble because they know they will lose any case made against them. However, if they don't, you should talk to your bank and go to the IC3.gov and file a complaint. Your bank can give you more info about further steps than I can if they can't get your money back."

- Ratiocinative on Yahoo Answers

Here are THE 7 Practices for Computer Security

1. Protect your personal information. It's valuable.
2. Know who you're dealing with.
3. Use security software that updates automatically.
4. Keep your operating system and Web browser up-to-date, and learn about their security features.
5. Keep your passwords safe, secure, and strong.
6. Back up important files.
7. Learn what to do in an e-mergency.

Here is a letter to the editor about a scam situation on Craig's List. May you enjoy the internet free from spam and never fall victim to a scam!