Internet scams.
They are becoming more and more advanced and plaguing everyone's email.
My mom, an epic sucker, likes to send me email after email about African princesses who need our help and new instant money surveys constantly.
So now not only am I blocking the daily spam that fills my email account everyday, I'm screening my own mother's emails.
The incredible stories and lies are never ending.
How are we supposed to know what is real or fake anymore.
Any email, even from someone we may trust like our bank, PayPal, or even our own parents who don't understand what SPAM is, could potentially be a computer bomb.
Even worse, how are legitimate companies supposed to communicate with their clientele.
The internet was made to be a free and easy form of communication.
However, free and easy includes communication from both the honest and the dishonest.
Here are a few red flags to always be weary of when looking for a legitimate company online.
1) Never give away any information via email that you are not comfortable with.
For example, your social security number, banking number, credit card, mother's maiden name, or any information that would compromise your identity or your money.
2) If an email says it is from a certain website like MySpace, Facebook, PayPal, etc.
don't follow the link directly on your email.
Enter the original site address into your search bar and go from there.
Have you ever been phished? It is not a fun experience.
3) If anything about a website seems off or different don't enter your personal information or any passwords until you're sure you are on a secure site.
4) When ordering anything online, always look for little key phrases and avoid checking boxes to contracts that entail sharing your information with other companies.
This is a way for companies to make money simply off of your email address, and why your inbox is full of things you've never even heard of and have absolutely no interest in.
If you order online frequently do what I do and get more than one email address - one for legitimate sites and friends and one for SPAM.
If something seems fishy send it to the SPAM address 5) IF IT SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT IS! No one gives away free money unless you've been picked for a game show, and guess what? They won't send you an email about it.
Avoid making any large investment into anything until you have researched it and you know what you are doing.
Always look for more than one site about whatever you are considering, and most importantly, have some common sense.
Everyone is looking for a way to make themselves rapid cash.
The problem is they turn to these scams to find it.
If one really wants to make themselves rapid cash then they have to find a good company and work it hard and smart.
Then they will find that not only does the rapid cash come but its stays forever.
There are great opportunities online.
The Internet is an amazing tool for businesses.
If you keep a clear head and follow your intuition it is easy to spot the scams and the real opportunities.