I was watching Rip Off Britain in the TV yesterday and there is no doubt that scammers are becoming more and more adept at getting access to our money.
But the thing that worries me is I find myself thinking that every e-mail or text message I receive is a scam when some of them might be genuine. But how do you tell? Obviously I know not to give out credit card or bank details but the situation is still difficult.
A few years ago I reviewed hundreds of items for Amazon. I got into this when I was sent an e-mail offering me an item (can't remember exactly what it was) in exchange for a review. My first thought was it was a scam but then I thought "I'm not being asked to part with any money or give any bank or other details other than my shipping address." So I decided to reply and a few days later the item arrived.
As soon as I posted my reviews I was flooded with other offers. The more reviews I posted, the more goods I was offered and my ranking as a reviewer went up to around 300 out of something like 18 million. I eventually gave up because Amazon changed their rules for reviewing which meant I had to buy an item and then get a refund - something I was immediately suspicious of and also my house was getting clogged up with stuff that I didn't really want, most of which I passed on for charity sales and raffles etc.
Then not too long ago I was contacted by a company offering to act on my behalf against a company that had sold me shares without giving me certain assurances and information. Again I thought this might be a scam but it was one of these no win no fee things so I went for it. It took a couple of years but the result is that the substantial losses I have made on the shares have been chopped virtually in half by a one off payment.
So not everything that looks like a scam is one. The problem is I fear that one day I will assume that something genuinely important is a scam and fail to act on it. It's all very confusing. Do I really have a parcel that the post office has been unable to deliver? Do I really have a parking ticket? etc etc. How can I or anyone else really tell?