Don't Let Con Artists Pull These Scams on You

They are everywhere-con artists who want your money. You may think you would never fall for any of their scams. Beware, however, some of the scams these con artists pull are so clever you would be surprised how many people fall for them. They may use the telephone. They may use the computer. They may act as door-to-door salesmen or even someone coming to "fix" something in your house. Whatever they do, you can be certain it will not be in your own good.

If you have posted your résumé on an online job search site, one type of con artist may come after you. Genuine employers and job seekers aren't the only ones who use the sites.

A con artist who sees your résumé may get your personal information, including your e-mail address. He may say he is from a money-transfer company and may offer to hire to test money-wiring services. He says he will send you a check to deposit in your bank account before wiring the money back. You can keep a "commission" of 5 to 20 percent. The problem with such scams, however, is that his check will be phony, according to the National Fraud Center.

Another scam a con artist may try to pull on you is to call you, pretending to be from your local court. He will say a warrant has been issued for your arrest, because you have failed to report for jury duty.

When you protest that the court has never contacted you, he will say he will correct the problem, but he will need your Social Security number and date of birth to check your records. You should beware. Real courts conduct business regarding jury duty through the mail.

Of course con artists are out to steal your identity, if they can. There are countless ways they will do this, but children are some of the people at the greatest risk. According to statistics from the Identity Theft Resource Center in San Diego, a total of 400,000 children had their identities stolen in 2005-more than double the number from just two years earlier.