Five scams you may not know about

An informative article from Yahoo! Tech re five scams you need to know about -

Along with identity theft here are five scams you should be aware of -

Tax and Rebate Scams

You get a call or email claiming to be from a government agency (e.g. IRS or SSA) asking for personal information to process a rebate check. If you resist giving out information, you're told you cannot receive the rebate.

Cheap Electronics Scam

Online site sells electronic products at extremely low prices but has a minimum purchase (e.g. USD500), lacks a secure payment transaction form, or has a new domain registration, questionable contact information, grammatical and spelling errors, a no return policy, and untraceable payment methods. Research first before buying.

Chatroom Scams

Some scams use a software robot that poses as a human in chatrooms. These bots can do multiple chats, persuading victims to give personal information. Information harvested are then used to carry out various forms of fraud. Unsuspecting victims may also be tricked into visiting a 'personal site' that could load malware onto their computers that captures your keystrokes.

Local Charity Scams

Scammers claiming to be from the police department or DARE solicit donations purporting to benefit police officers. Police say many victims have reported the phone number used appears to be from the local police department, so don't be fooled.

Cancer Cure Scam

Some websites tadvertise natural products they claim will prevent or cure everything from cancer to diabetes. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a miracle cure for cancer. The reality is many of these products are not proven, effective, or safe, and the sites are full of false testimonials.