Essex: Police warn of latest scam (From Braintree and Witham Times)

Another scam everyone should be aware of is the Amway Tool Scam. Google "Stop The Amway Tool Scam Wordpress" for more information, and forward this to every non-IBO you know, so they don't get scammed.

Never answer the 'phone until you know who it is. A scammer will not leave a message.

Even if they give you a number to call back, don´t automatically use that number. First thing to do if you have any doubts is to go online and check if there are any scams. Have a look at sites like www.snopes.com, which show all sorts of things which scammers try.

Anybody who says they need money upfront to "process an application" should be avoided like the plague. If it is actually genuine, they will understand and will write to you.

I got an e-mail just today saying that a company has millions of dollars, but due to legal complications in the country, cannot process it there and so needs by bank details, with a % for me. New variation on the Nigerian scam which has been around for many years.

Got to be careful out there!

It's always good to exercise caution while there are scammers around but it's also a good idea to have half a brain cell so you won't fall for these ridiculous scams. Might sound a bit harsh but these scams are so far fetched that any person in their right mind will immediately delete any e mails (provided your email provider doesn't send them to the Junk folder automatically) or hang up the phone on anybody calling you.

co4 wrote:
It's always good to exercise caution while there are scammers around but it's also a good idea to have half a brain cell so you won't fall for these ridiculous scams. Might sound a bit harsh but these scams are so far fetched that any person in their right mind will immediately delete any e mails (provided your email provider doesn't send them to the Junk folder automatically) or hang up the phone on anybody calling you.

True enough. But a lot of scams work because they look convincing. Things like e-mails supposedly from banks, or Amazon, E-Bay etc. If you get one of these, don´t click any links! Your bank will not e-mail you in this way!

Another one is a card left saying that a delivery has been attempted, and giving a number to call. Especially this time of year, people think they could be a gift etc., but it´s just a ruse to get you to call a very expensive phone number. Sometimes, they will say that there are delivery charges due and want credit card details.

The elderly are especially at risk from this kind of thing, but also those who are not especially Internet-savvy and will not realise that these sorts of scams exist. They play on people´s trust of major brands.

My approach is simple: any cold caller is told to put it in writing, anybody on the doorstep the same. You might feel sorry for them standing in the pouring rain, but it´s their choice to be there. They are probably not scammers in the same way, but it is still good to get everything clear, written, so you can check it properly before signing up to anything.

There's also a new scam going around involving people selling second hand cars - if you advertise your car for sale on Autotrader, you'll get an email from someone saying that they'd like to buy it and that they've sent the money via Paypal - you'll then get sent a link to 'activate', which is a fake Paypal page. Do not fill it in with any of your details. The person will also ask you to give £200 to the person collecting the car, as the 'collectors' fee for collecting, and again the £200 will be sent through this fake Paypal screen, which looks like the real thing. So if they pull it off, which they obviously have done in the past, you'll have lost your car plus the £200! This happened to my friend who smelled a rat and contacted both AutoTrader and PayPal, who confirmed it was a scam and to avoid like the plague, with no further communication to the 'buyer'. She did this yet the very next day she was contacted via email by a different 'buyer', using exactly the same technique. Presumably if you did get as far as putting in your details to 'confirm' the transaction, you'd also get your bank account plundered, and some kind of equally fake 'receipt' from PayPal. Be very cautious and report to all concerned, and the Police.