As the New Year Approaches, be Alert to the Increase in Scams!

I'm always excited about the turn of the year. Whereas I am perfectly well aware that "time" is mostly an artificial human construct, I like the idea of "closing" the book on the year that was, and starting a new year like it is a blank canvas in front of me.

I'm definitely not alone in having such feelings!

Unfortunately, the world is full of "sketchy characters" who are just as aware of this very human tendency, and they use the new year as an opportunity to prey on people when they are particularly prone to take on something new; to start afresh.

I'm not writing this post as an alert to any specific scams I have come across, more as a generalized "public service announcement" to remind everyone to not get so wrapped up in the excitement of making plans for the new year that you forget to exercise common sense!

In general, I encounter two different kinds of appeals, both of which tend to target our desires to change things in our lives.

The Very Obvious

The first type of sketchy "offer" I often encounter are typically of the "too good to be true" nature and quite often are in the investment and money making industry. They often appeal to our sense of impatience by sowing FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) in our minds that what we have been doing is not good enough...

"Tired of only earning a 20% return on your crypto investments?"

Then there's a long song and dance... and meanwhile, we forget about the fact that earning 20% is actually a pretty good return, and if we're actually doing that, we really should continue doing that. The thing about most forms of investing is that it's typically a long term proposition, not a "get rich quick scheme!"

Unless you happen to get extremely lucky, promises of investment returns significantly greater than the market as a whole should be viewed with skepticism! Always do your homework!

Sadly, most are designed to simply separate you from your hard-earned money.

Sure, we've all "heard about someone" who earned a 100x return on their investment... but how many have that experience? I've also "heard of someone" who's making millions as a professional football player, but how many people do that? Don't be sold on the idea that "exceptional results" are actually common and accessible to everyone!

The Subtle and Hidden

The more insidious type of scam — or maybe "scam" is an overstatement — is the kind that omits information or takes facts out of context at the root of their sales pitch.

The angles of approach are varied and often hard to decipher.

Maybe the promised outcomes are genuine, but it is generally "overlooked" just how much time and effort you have to put in to get those results.

There are also the "no money down" types of trail offers that you get all the benefits of something very fancy for 30 days, and you get used to having excellent results... but then the "subscription" sets in, and you suddenly realize that in order to continue getting those results you have to spend $100's every month... and whereas it was totally worthwhile on the free intro, it's actually a losing proposition to continue when you have to pay for it.

And sure, many people do cancel, but the originator of the "system/plan/program" makes their profit from the 2,3,4 months of charging "full fare" for something that's only marginally useful.

The other "sneaky" sort of approach... which isn't really a scam... is "low fee subscriptions" that are free for the first 30,60,90 days and are very difficult to cancel.

We tend to not notice these things because a recurring $2.99 a month subscription is annoying but not annoying enough that we are going to jump through hoops to force a cancelation through. And that's precisely what the sellers are counting on, and it's precisely how we end up with our phones bloated with apps we almost never look at.

Most of those things — viewed in isolation — a not big deals. But around the turn of the year we tend to get bombarded with them, and we are more receptive to new things than during the rest of the year.

So be careful, and choose wisely!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great reminder of your week!

How about you? Do you feel more inclined to try new things around the new year? Have you ever been caught by something "scammy" around new year's? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2023.12.26 23:58 PST
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