Too Good To Be True

One of the most important lessons I was taught growing up is if something sounds to good to be true, it probably is.  I can't tell you how many times I've found this to be true.  Whether it is the phone call claiming I won a free cruise in a contest I never entered or the guy who pulled up next to me at a red light offering cheap speakers, 9 times out of 10 it's a scam.

Yesterday I received a postcard flyer in the mail claiming I had won airfare, a stay at the Marriott and even a car rental all for just being me.  Now obviously my scam detector went off right away when I received this postcard and a simple reading of the fine-print section that says "This promotion not sponsored by US Airways, Marriott, Hilton, Priceline.com or Alamo," confirmed my suspicion.  I also found a thread online through Google with others who had received the same flyer.  I also love the airplane on the front that has obviously been Photoshopped to take out all the US Airways markings.

Besides looking and sounding too good to be true, there are a few other signs to look for with things like this that indicate a scam. 

• The company has no permanent address and all presentations are held in rented conference rooms.
• They can’t, or won’t, provide you with references.
• They don’t want to give you an itemized list of what’s included in your trip until you have already signed the contract.

The sad fact is that these scam artists wouldn't send out flyers like this if it didn't work.  I heard one con artist interviewed once claim the reason they still use the Nigerian Prince scam is because most people have heard of it and know it's fake.  The ones who haven't and still call/email are almost guaranteed to be major suckers. 

It's a sad fact that there will always be people out there who try and take advantage of other people being trusting.  All you can do is try and protect yourself and try not to become too cynical.