Have You Been Scammed?
What Scammers Do To Take Your Money
They are you’re “friend
Whether the initial contact is with email or phone, they will get you to believe that they are your friend and are calling/emailing to help you make money. Sounds great right? Their only goal is to take your money! They usually get you to share some information about yourself and they may “share” something about themselves. They are not your friend, they only want your money!
Looking for a few good people/only a few spaces left
The try to make you feel special because they are looking only for a few people in “your area” to join in this great opportunity. They only want your money!
Need To See if you “qualify”
Once they think they have you interested they will do what is called a give and take away technique. You may think this deal is sounding pretty good. But now they have to determine if you qualify. Of course you do, even if you don’t want it you want to qualify for something. They only want your money!
Limited opportunity
This ties in with the exclusivity of the product or service. There are only a few products/openings/opportunities left. You must act now before they are all gone. They only want your money!
You can put it on two cards
If you say that you can’t afford it they will happily say (being so kind to help you out) “You can put it on two cards.” They only want your money!
Simple “done for you system”
Some of these programs are sold as “done for you” systems. All you need is to join and the money will be rolling in faster than you can spend it! Even if they have a lot of “stuff” on their site is usually remedial, outdated or otherwise unusable. They only want your money!
Magic button
“All you have to do is…” There is no magic button. We would all like to have one. We all are looking for more money. Some of us are on the desperate side and that is part of the reason we fall prey to these scammers. They only want your money!
Initial fee then upsell, upsell, upsell …
Even if you agree to the initial sell thinking that alright I squeeze this much and maybe I can make some money in this thing. That is when you get hit with the upsell and another and another and another and so on until they really do have all your money. They only want your money!
Now That I’ve Been Scammed, What Do I Do?
It is hard to live with the shame of being scammed. You are angry, angry at the scammers and angry at yourself for being taken. Of course you’re pissed off! With luck you will never hear from them again. But next time, if there is a next time, you will be better prepared and be able to stand up to these scammers and say to them. “NO, I WILL NOT TAKE YOUR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR ANY PRICE. YOU WILL NOT GET MY MONEY AGAIN!”
1. Remember that even though it seems like a stupid and embarrassing thing, it is not your fault. These guys are professionals and they make used car salesmen look like angels.
2. Don't beat yourself up. Decide that this is part of your education and move on. You have to decide each day to learn from this and not fall prey to their tactics again.
3. You have been robbed of more than money or possessions, you have been robbed of your self-confidence and your self-esteem. That kind of loss is hard to take so be gentle on yourself.
4. Remember that you were the one who was scammed but you are not a helpless victim. Yes, this was done to you and they are very slick at what they do but you are not helpless you just got scammed out of hard earned money. You still have your life and your skills to move forward. So do it, move forward!
5. Do not waist time trying to figure out how someone who seemed so friendly could be so disgustingly ruthless. It is their job to take your money. I have been trained in hypnotherapy and persuasive techniques and I still got scammed! They only want your money!
6. Remember this event, or events, as part of your education in life. Pay attention to the lesson and let go of the pain. As I said before you have your life and your skills. Now you even know more about scammers and how to avoid them. Remember too, that they are never your friend. They are like the muggers in the dark of night only they do it from their computer or phone. Some do get caught and brought to justice but in the end, they all must answer for their actions.
You will succeed in your dreams if you listen to your inner guidance. Now get up and get out and live your passion!
One of the ways you cand "get back" at the scammers is SUCCEED! There is no greater revenge than success! The best way is with your Wealthy Affiliate program!
Peace, Love and Coconuts!
Don
Recent Comments
50
Nice list. I hope I saw this list when I first got started with my online business years ago. I was scammed and lost a few hundred dollars. I learnt my lesson anyway.
Whatever we lose is the price of our education. The point is to move forward with the knowledge to help others. Thanks for the comment.
If someone is in sales to help people in exchange for payment, that's great. I call that an honest living.
In fact, I was an account representative for a fortune 500 company many years ago. My job was to get to know people and their business, so I could help them better - and I did. Getting to know someone before you recommend or sell them something is just good manners and good personal communication practices (as taught in college)
Later, I formed my own company that I ran for 26 years. Every day we tried to sell. Who out there has a web site that's not trying to sell something. Aren't you taught to write in the more personable 2nd person tense.
Your waiting for visitor Comments to appear. Waiting for them to Like your page so you can get them on your list. Trying to strike up a conversation. So the problem is not sales - only your ability to sort out the bad ones. After all, the largest supplier of jobs in the world is the Sales and aren't we training to be salesmen in WA?
The problem is when salesmen cross the line and mislead or lie to people. Back in my time if you did that. Your reputation would catch up with you and your company. And, you'd be out of business. Now, with the impersonal internet, there are not many real salesmen left.
Whether we admit it or not, we're all salesmen or saleswomen! After all, who isn't trying to sell something. I'll bet your web site is trying to sell something right now!
The real question is how to sort out the ones that just want your money. I say the answer is to get to know the right ones. Personally, I seek out good sales people who'll understand my problem and answer questions. I even think managing salesmen wisely is an important ingredient for success.
Some of the best advice I ever got came from a few chosen sales reps. Don't know about you, but I don't run my business alone.
Very well said! Frankly, everybody is selling something. It is when one crosses the line, as you say, that the rest of us get a bad image. That is why programs like WA who have high standards and prmote good community are so important. Thank you for your insight. Peace!
I almost fell into one of those scams a little over a month ago, I was fortunate enough to research before falling into the scam and landed here. Your Coconuts sign off still makes me laugh.
Excellent exposure of the scammers' techniques, Don. So many people here have fallen victim to these horrible people, and my heart goes out to them. I am one of the lucky ones that came here first. This is a safe place to study and learn how to succeed in an online business. No pressure job here. Just honest working people trying to help one another. I'm glad we can all meet here!
Pat
Hi Don, this is a really great post. You have put in a lot of good examples. I have not been scammed. I was one of the fortunate ones. Mainly, I never had the money to invest so maybe that was good. Now I have money but I do not invest. I have been a member here at WA for almost 4 years. I landed it and have never moved. Thanks again for putting this up. Best Wishes to You!
Thanks. The sad thing about this issue is that many get suckered in who have no money and end up with huge debts.
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Absolutely priceless (no $) Don...I was suspecting while reading & then got to # 5 & went -> yep, thought as much, u big scammer ;) Loved this
We all have the tools. It's important to use them ethically. Thanks for the comment!