Checklist: How to Know You are Being Scammed

One evening in November, Mrs. A* decided to open an email from somebody she doesn’t recognize. Part of the email says,

Hi there,

Are you still looking for part-time job opportunity and earn extra wages?

We have an entry level part-time job position available in your area of location.

Compensation/Wages Offered: You earn no less than $300 – $600 per day.

The sender has an e-mail address that says job@email.com. Is it possible that the email is from somebody who wants to scam her?

Scammers are becoming uncanny and ridiculous at the same time. The main purpose is to trick you to pay money or get or steal money from you. It is unacceptable that these types of people can fool you but it is more uncomfortable to think that you are not prepared to protect yourself from these attacks.

The following is a checklist you need to answer. If the answer is YES to every question, then most likely you are dealing with a scammer. Proceed.

Are you being asked to wire money (especially thru your credit card) by someone you are not familiar with? If you are not sure who you are dealing with, do not proceed, you are definitely being scammed.
Does the email make promises of a big sum of money in exchange for a favor? If the effort to do the favor is just that simple, think. Why is money that big for a little effort? Why is the amount too good to be true? The sender’s goal is for you to be scammed.
Does the email tell you that you have inherited vast amounts of money, or the bank awards you a share of funds, or that you have won the lottery? You are not dumb to believe that someone you do not know will give you an inheritance, or that a bank will give a delicate information thru email, or that you won the lottery without a bet? There is no way you are not being scammed here.
Are you being asked about your bank information because the person will wire you money in payment to a simple effort, or to send money to another person? Think hard. Wiring money is the easiest way to withdraw money immediately and they are using it as bait. Isn’t it a clear picture you are being scammed?
Are you being threatened that you will go to jail, or that people will know, or that you will lose your job, because you are not paying the required amount they demand? Why are these people putting a pressure on you just to make you pay? They want you to make choices and you end up being scammed.
Is the link for the site that was provided secure, or has ‘https’ in its address? Secure sites will definitely have ‘https’ in their address. Clicking on a link that is not secured will jeopardize your bank account details. Ignorance of this information will definitely lead you being scammed by unscrupulous people.
Is the email address suspicious? In the quote above, Mrs. A* probably noticed the e-mail address job@email.com. It does not even make sense. It is more odd than legit. She does not want to be scammed, and so are you.
Is the email written with good grammar and spelling? These scammers do not have English as their primary language. Do not underestimate. They maybe English-language illiterate but they are cunning. It would be a disaster to be scammed by someone who does not even know how to spell words correctly.
Does the sender prefer a payment method that cannot be detected? If you are asked to pay through Western Union, do not proceed. It is another bait and you will never be able to trace them. They will be gone with your money before you realized you have been scammed.