So many scams go under the radar for the simple reason that they involve small amounts of cash; either you forget about them, or the amount is too small that you can’t be bothered to make a fuss. You may have been the victim of a scam without ever knowing; you could have paid to enter a bogus competition, given money to a phony charity drive, or invested in a fraudulent business opportunity. If you have been involved in something like this there is a chance that your name is on what scammers call a “suckers list.”

What’s a sucker’s list?

These lists contain the names, and very often contact information, of those who have fallen for scams in the past. Shady individuals sell these lists under the impression that people who have been fooled once before can be fooled again. One of the ways that sucker’s lists are used is in recovery, refund and cancellation scams.

Recovery, refund and cancellation scams

Recovery scams are rife at the moment and so you should be on the lookout. The way they work is to target people on the sucker’s list who have been scammed previously. The new scam will offer a solution to the problem or scam previously experienced. Sometimes the scammers are from the same company that scammed you in the first instance, charging you for a recovery, refund or cancellation.

Never fear, however, as we have some of the best tips and hints for avoiding these kinds of scams:

a) Don’t wire money before you are satisfied with the services/ goods received.

b) Don’t give out credit card or banking details when attempting to recover money or goods you have not received.

c) If someone claims to represent a government agency and asks for payment in relation to an investigation you can be sure that they are a scam ESPECIALLY if they ask you to wire money.

d) If someone calls offering to recovery money, prizes, or good you have not received and they claim to be from a US governmental agency immediately report them to the authorities.

e) Before you agree to use a recovery company ask about their specific services and fees, and then check them out with local law enforcement and consumer agencies. The Better Business Bureau and other such websites are your friends in this case.

The people who operate these scams are experts in their field; they’ve been doing this for a long time and know how to approach a target. Forewarned is, however, forearmed so be on the lookout for suspicious offers, services and solutions.

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