Fraud: Avoid being victimized

It’s easier to become a victim of fraud than most of us would believe.

Fraud Aid, a Web site devoted to teaching about fraud, is a one-stop education for anyone who wants to understand how fraud takes place, and more importantly, wants to avoid becoming a victim.

The founder of Fraud Aid, Annie McGuire, was not only a victim of fraud, but went on to work as Fraud Consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation. The site is loaded with must-know information.

Go to Fraud Aid ( www.fraudaid.com) and take the Backstage Tour. It’s an eye opener in terms of describing how nearly anyone can become a victim, and who the players are. Pay special attention to the cast of characters — such as the con artist — what makes them tick and how they pull in their victims.

The site covers a number of types of scams — investment scams, Nigerian scams, lottery, Green Card, counterfeit check and money order, work-at-home payment processing and package-processing business fraud — and how they work, as well as ways to keep from becoming a victim.

There’s even a section on Miranda rights, what you should do and not do if you’ve become a victim of an illegal scam and are arrested or taken in for questioning. Being the victim is no guarantee that you won’t be arrested. For example, in the payment-processing scam (wherein you believe you’re simply handling or wiring money for others and taking your fee out of the proceeds) you may be unknowingly laundering money. It’s illegal, and the authorities won’t know what part you’ve played in it.

Other Valuable Information on the Site:

•How to verify a check or money order to make sure it’s real.

•FDIC’s list of counterfeit, lost, stolen, missing and forged checks and money orders.

•How to file complaints and report fraud.

•How to dissect the headers in scam e-mail.

•Fraud Victim Advocate — If you’ve been arrested for your innocent participation in something that turns out to be a scam, or are at risk for being arrested, there’s an online form to fill out to get help from fraud victim advocates.

Let one of your goals for the New Year be that you don’t become a victim of fraud. It’s not as easy as you may think.