Although this information is more than a few years old (July 1998), the list still hold true. As you can imagine, when an email scammer finds something that works, they keep using it.
To help you keep informed on what the scammers think works, and what you shouldn’t fall for, here’s the top 12 scams that are most likely to arrive in consumers’ email boxes. Of as the FTC has labeled them, the “dirty dozen”:
- Business opportunities
- Bulk email
- Chain letters
- Work-at-home schemes
- Health and diet scams
- Effortless income
- Free goods
- Investment opportunities
- Cable descrambler kits
- Guaranteed loans or credit, on easy terms
- Credit repair
- Vacation prize promotions
You can file a complaint with the FTC by contacting the Consumer Response Center by phone: toll-free 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357); TDD: 202-326-2502; by mail:
Consumer Response Center,
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW,
Washington, DC 20580
