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Internet Fraud and Greed Schemes by Nikki Willhite Unless you have a very good email filter, you have probably received an email that began "Dear Sir or Dear Madam, allow me to introduce myself....."     Then it goes on to tell you of their "royal" distinction in their country, and how they are in dire need of money. They may also add that if you help them, and send them some cash, they will be able to generously repay you for your efforts. Most of these emails are clumsily worded, and are obviously from third world countries and a scam. Sometimes these emails forget the first part, and just tell you that you have basically "won" a million dollars, which is being held for you awaiting your response. These emails are so transparent to most of us. They are comical. At least, that is what I thought up until a few days ago. What is very sad is that there are people who fall for them. I recently became aware of one older person and what is happening in their life because of it. This person, who is a man, has sent increments of money amounting to several thousand dollars to the people who sent the original email. When he finally decided he wasn't going to get anything, he quit sending them money. Then comes the part I did not know about. When you stop sending money, they start harassing you. They call you, to the point that your phone rings, day and night. They claim they are the mafia of the country where they reside, and they begin threatening your children and grandchildren if you do not send them more money. At this point many people, especially women, get very scared, and give them all their money. However, there is even one more ploy that is used to scare people.  The scammers use the police to scare their victims.  They have someone in the area where the person lives call the police and tell them there is domestic dispute or some other problem going on at the victim's house. This causes the police to show up at the door of the already frightened victim.  Then there is another call from the scammers in which they state that the police won't help them because they are on their side. So some people become even more afraid. In the specific case I've been talking about, this man called the police. The police advised him to change his phone number, but he is elderly, and did not want to lose a phone number that he had for years. So now he can't answer his phone, and who knows what is going through his brain. The elderly are an easy target. Many elderly people need to be put in assisted living homes, but they refuse to go. It is very sad. In the case of this person, I know he played the lottery in several countries. Perhaps that is the reason he thought there was a million dollars out there with his name on it. Whatever the reason, it is sad. There is good money, and there is bad money. Good money comes from your work. Bad money is "dirty."  It does not come as a result of your labor. Did you know you cannot pay tithing on lottery winnings in many churches?  When you play the lottery, you are wasting what rightfully belongs to your family for their maintenance. Just because you win doesn't make it right. Don't fall for these schemes, and don't become greedy.  Guard that which is a representation of your time and labor.  What you do with your money is more important than how much of it you have. About the Author: Nikki Willhite, mother of 3 and an interior design graduate, has been writing and publishing articles on the topic of frugal living for over a decade. Visit her at www.frugalhappyfamilies.com - where you will find hundreds of frugal living tips and articles. Frugal Happy Families- more than just money!

 

 

 

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