North American Scam Alert: Scams & Frauds to Avoid!

The e-mail may start something like: "Dearest Sir: I am a widow in Lagos, Nigeria and am unable to access my late husband's substantial bank account." The pop-up on your monitor tells you that "You've just won a new I-Pod!" The letter informs you that "…you are the First Place Winner in the Freedonia National Sweepstakes!" The means may have become more sophisticated in our electronic age, but the end goal remains the same: to separate you from your money. A filmed seminar presentation (with the ubiquitous overhead projector), North American Scam Alert—a Canadian production that is just as relevant to U.S. audiences—looks at a wide range of current fraud and consumer deception schemes, including identity theft, Internet fraud, resort and vacation promotions, foreign lotteries, bogus charities, work-at-home schemes, car ads, advance fee loans, unsolicited invoices, fake credit card charges, and, yes, the infamous Nigerian e-mail scam. Although technically simple, the information presented here could be of great value to anyone curious about those "too good to be true” offers. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (J. Carlson)