Old-fashioned scams find place in high-tech world

Here’s the list:

1. Job seekers: Watch out for the lure of a great job, which results in a request for a fee, a bank account number, or Social Security number.

2. Debt relief: Pay a fee upfront and you’ll be free of debt. More likely, you’ll end up deeper in debt.

3. Work at home: You’ll either be asked for money or unwittingly become a fence for stolen goods.

4. Timeshare resales: You pay a fee up front. You’re out that money and still have the timeshare.

5. “Free’’ trial offers: Sign up for a “free’’ trial, but end up with monthly charges that are hard to stop.

6. Rogue home repairs and roofers: They collect an upfront fee with the promise of cheap work. That’s the last you’ll see of them.

7. Lottery/sweepstakes: Be assured that you didn’t win a contest you didn’t enter or have to pay to collect on one you did.

8. Advance-fee loans: Don’t pay fees in advance for the promise you’ll get something.

9. Overpayments: You receive a check that’s more than the agreed upon amount for merchandise or a service, and you pay them back the difference. They do it because their check is a fake and your money is real.

10. Identity theft: Giving personal information to someone who calls or e-mails you is a recipe for disaster.

Now you know the most likely ways to get scammed. So, please try to resist the temptations.

Mitch Lipka is a nationally known consumer columnist and runs TheConsumerChronicle.com. He lives in Worcester. You can find him on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/MitchLipka. He can be reached at ConsumerNews@Aol.com.