A scam is a scheme either by post, email or on the phone designed to con you out of your hard earned money!

Don't your guard down and think that you won't be fooled, at some time or other you could become a victim.

Scammers and con artists are becoming more sophisticated every day in their efforts to con all of us. Premium rate mobile phone scams, competition scams, bogus sweepstakes and lotteries, get rich quick schemes and fake miraculous health cures are some of the scammers favourite means of getting you to part with your money.

You should report scams immediately to groups listed various websites who deal with reporting scammers to the authorities. No matter how small the amount of money you have lost. It is important that the scammers are stopped.

How to recognise a scam - if it's too good to be true it usually isn't?

THE CON

How scam and con artists succeed - they will if you let them:

• catch you unawares, contacting you, without you asking them to, by phone, email, post or sometimes in person at your front or even in your workplace
• They sound pleasant, well spoken and kind (on the phone or at your door) and want you to think they're your friend
• They have slick, professional leaflets and letters
• They will be persistent and persuasive
• They will try to rush you into making a decision
• They may ask you to send money before you receive their tempting offer or win.

New scams from the UK and overseas appear every day - so it's important to know how to spot them.

THE SCAM PITCH

They offer you something for nothing - such as:

• you've won a major prize in a draw or a lottery (even though you haven't even entered one)
• an exclusive entry to a scheme that's a certainty to make you money
• a way to earn easy money by helping them get untold millions out of their country using your bank account
• the chance to join an investment scheme that will make you huge amounts of money at ridiculous earnings interest rates

There are hundreds of examples, too many to mention here, but we can all protect ourselves by being sceptical and pessimistic. Ask yourself this "Is it likely that someone you don't know or ever heard of, who has contacted you out of the blue, will give you something for nothing?" That's right there is no such thing as a free lunch! You stand a better chance of dining out with the fairies.

THE STING

They will ask you to:

• send money up front - an administration fee or tax, the list is endless but it's always a ruse to get you to give them money
• give them your bank, credit card or other personal details
• ring an expensive premium rate number (all UK premium rate numbers start with 090)
• buy something to get your prize

They will lie to you and give you what seem to be good reasons why you should do what they say. They will answer all your objections.

Never ever ever ever send any money or give any personal details to anyone until you've checked that they are genuine, and talked to a professional or family and friends. At the very least ask for their phone number to contact them with, dial it see what happens, if somebody answers ask them to send you some details in the post if they want your business, a good way of gathering evidence for the police if nothing more.

If they ask you to do any of these things they're trying to cover their tracks and get your money and it's likely to be a scam.

Other things to look out for:

• they ask you to send money straight away
• they give you a PO box number as their address
• they ask you not to tell anyone about the deal

Use the links below to get more details on scam help and information.

Scams and Cons from Nigeria

Just a small note about Nigerian scams. If you receive anything about anything that originates or has anything to do with Nigeria, be warned. Nigeria has a lot of corruption and deceit, so much so that a significant amount of the worlds scams originate or propagate from this small country in Africa ( read this if you don't believe...).

Don't be a scam victim, be vigilant