While it is not always possible to avoid becoming a victim of circumstances it is certainly true that some people seem to attract trouble as if they are some kind of walking disasters. Chance plays a role in the unanticipated such as a vehicle or plane crash and sometimes we are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. We cannot possibly predict the outcome of all decisions, or the decisions of those wishing to do us harm but we can minimise the risks as well as develop strategies to deal with most situations.
There are two key ingredients in survival; they are common sense and attention to detail. Common sense would tell us that a person pointing a gun at us while demanding money is not to be argued with and to survive the encounter we need to decide what is more important: our possessions or our life. Possessions can be replaced and while some argue you have just become a victim, so what! This is where attention to detail can mitigate the problem and if you can provide accurate details to the authorities your chances of recovering your possessions are looking better. The chance and unavoidable is if the aggressor shoots you and there are no answers to that unfortunate turn of events.
So many people get ripped off and scammed and to me it is crazy they allowed themselves to be exposed in the first place. Many scams are so obvious yet the lure of money for nothing has some hypnotic effect of blinding reason. I calculated the amount of first prize’ notices I received for lotteries I had not entered. Ranging from $200 000 to as much as $1 000 000.00 I was not surprised to see I had disregarded over four million dollars. It is not that difficult to work out how the hell could I possibly win anything if I did not enter in the first place and I don’t believe for one minute I was a random selection. Attention to detail working here folks, the same organization sent me three separate notices with differing amounts purporting to be from different lotteries in some European country.
Personal details are the vulnerability of most in this electronic age and there is no sure-fire way to guarantee absolute protection. You can do a lot to protect yourself if your personal details do actually fall into the hands of scammers. Entering details on a website is not wise unless you know precisely who you are dealing with. If asked for a birth date you are unwise to put the correct date but ask yourself this question: “for what reason would your birth date be a requirement in the first place?”
“We need to confirm” if you don’t volunteer details they have to read what they have and if they spout of incorrect information I usually say “yes that’s right”. If they continue the correct assumption is you are speaking with someone who is after something. I wait for the conversation to develop a little more then start asking them questions such as “Can I call you back in a few minutes” a great way of instantly sorting the real from the scam.
Learn to look behind the stated reason and always remember you are only being told what the other party wants you to know. Any sign of hesitating or avoidance is your first clue something is not right attention to details. Take nothing for granted and if the purpose of a discussion is parting with your money do not ever proceed unless you verify all you are told.
By applying one simple rule I have avoided more scams and rip offs than I care to remember. Perhaps one or two were mostly genuine; I would rather let it go than find out the hard way. The rule is this: If it sounds too good to be true then you can be sure it is untrue! Think about why some stranger would be offering you an incredible deal and keep in mind they have to make money somehow. By offering you a ridiculously discounted bargain they are hardly going to be a success in their venture. For this reason you could safely assume something is not quite right.
If you do not want to become a victim then do not allow yourself to be ensnared. You control the discussion irrespective of how convincing or forceful the other party is. If they begin to get a little heavy after a few questions get the picture? Look for inconsistencies and don’t ever agree to money up front unless you know exactly whom you are dealing with. Keep your wits about you and don’t kid yourself that you can make easy money, or even money for nothing.
