Unbelievable! Take a Peek at our Outrageous Scams File

Here at Scambusters, scores of con-trick stories, every one of them a tale of woe, pass across our desk every week, but every so often the scale or the audacity of a con trick qualifies it for our outrageous scams file.

Think, for example, of one of the biggest scams of all time, the $50 billion Ponzi scheme perpetrated by Bernard Madoff.

That may be at the extreme of the spectrum but in the past few years alone there have been plenty more shocking scams.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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ID Theft Dominates Top Scams Nationwide

It seems there's no prospect of identity theft being knocked from the Number 1 slot in our annual list of top scams.

Based on our own research and published statistics, our Top 10 for 2013 shows phishing and ID theft holding that position by a huge margin.

And, sadly, we confidently expect it to remain there in 2014 too.

But while this and many other scams stay in our charts year after year, the con tricks that underpin them are constantly changing, which means we can never let our guard down.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Software Pirates Launch Malware Armada

Sometimes, people who don't care about foolishly breaking the law buy pirated software -- illegal copies or totally fake products.

But other times, innocent computer users may be duped into buying these fakes without realizing it.

Either way, users of pirated programs now face an extra dose of punishment, in addition to what the law may mete out, in the form of nasty malware, as we explain in this week's issue.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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GET READY TO BE INSPIRED

It's natural to become contemplative at this time of year, as you look back at what you've accomplished. Unfortunately, it can also become a time to look at what you HAVEN'T accomplished, and feel regret, frustration, or even shame about it. This can lead to lowered self-esteem, decreased motivation, and even depression. These are not the best conditions for a strong start next year!

A period of contemplation does not have to lead to focusing on your failures or beating yourself up. Instead, it can be a positive, nurturing time that energizes and inspires you for the next phase. Here are five suggestions for turning your yearend review into a powerful launch platform for you and your business in the new year.

1. Don't be afraid to take stock. If looking back sometimes brings up negative feelings, you may have developed the habit of avoiding it, or at least not looking too closely. Reassure yourself that this time you are going to review the past in a positive light, so there's no reason to fear it. There is much to be gained from studying results and events you weren't pleased with. Be willing to put on your detective cap and take out your magnifying glass.

2. Acknowledge what you've done right. Review what you did and didn't do over the past year, and what happened as a result. Keep track of everything you did right. If you hoped to earn $100,000 this year, but you brought in only $85,000, note that you earned an impressive 85% of your goal, not that you fell $15,000 short.

One of my coaching clients came to a December session sad and frustrated that she hadn't completed her book, and feeling like she should give up. Half an hour later, she recognized that for the first time ever, she had set aside time in her busy life to work on her book, and had written almost 100 pages. Instead of feeling defeated, she felt enthusiastic about her book-writing future.

3. Seek out your strengths. Look over your inventory of what you did right this year, and determine what personal strengths of yours made those actions possible. Did you show persistence in following up with prospective clients? Creativity in writing copy about your services? Courage in attending live networking events? List all the strengths you notice.

Look for strengths in how you responded to what happened this year even when the results were not what you desired. Did you display open-mindedness when prospective clients told you why they didn't accept your proposal? Did you show determination when you got back on the phone after being rejected? Adversity often brings out more strengths than success does. Make note of them all.

4. Lock in what you've learned. With all that has happened this year, what have you learned about yourself and the world around you? Focus on the positive. If you didn't land enough clients this year, what did you learn from the clients you DID get about what works for you in marketing and what your strengths are? Did your earnings take a dip in the 4th quarter? What did you do in the 3rd quarter that worked better for you, and what strengths showed up then?

5. Plan for the future, not the past. If you didn't get all that you wanted in your business this year, all the more reason to leave the past behind. Make your plans based on who you are becoming, not who you have been.

Review your list of what you did right this year. Impressive! How can you include more of those activities in the year to come? What will all that productive action make possible for you? Look at your inventory of strengths. Wow! What will that talented person be capable of?

A shiny, brand new year is right around the corner. You have the power to make it anything you want it to be. Just do what you already know works, take advantage of your strengths, and get ready to be inspired.

Copyright © 2013, C.J. Hayden

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"Slider" Theft, Unsafe PINs and Advance Fee Scams

You'd think we would have exhausted all the variations of the advance fee scam by now. But you'd be wrong.

As we've reported many times, this trick involves sending a victim a check as upfront payment for a product or service, with a request that part of the sum should be returned or passed on to a supposed third party who is somehow involved in the deal.

The victim banks the check, wires the sum requested, then learns the check is a dud, and they are out by however much they sent on to the other person, who is, of course the scammer.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Alert on Hashtag Hijacks, Spamming and Trolling

Who would have guessed that the humble hash symbol (#) would come to play the big part it does today in online communication - turning its pairing with a word or phrase, known as a hashtag, into a useful device that's also a target for tricks?

If you use social networks like Twitter or Facebook, you'll know that the hashtag is used to highlight a topic considered to be of wide public interest.

Placing the symbol before a word enables the networks to pull all postings with the same theme into a single list that others can search for.

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Latest Scam Weapons: Obituaries, Surveys and Text Alerts

Crooks often seem to strike at the worst of possible times and that's certainly the case when they use newspaper obituaries to target victims.

They have at least three ways of relieving bereaved families and their friends of their money and possessions.

First, thieves use the announcements to discover details of funeral arrangements and then burglarize victims and grieving relatives while their homes are empty during the ceremony.

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Pet Flipping Scammers Step Up Their Game

The incidence of pet flipping, the crime of acquiring and quickly reselling animals for a big profit, is rising alarmingly.

And the variety of tricks scammers use is expanding rapidly, creating a challenge for law enforcement and animal protection groups to keep pace.

Police even fear that organized crime might be behind some of the incidents.

We touched on this topic in one of our earlier issues covering pet scams: 7 Top Pet Scams That Cost Money and Even Animal Lives.

Back then it was just a case of buying and reselling animals in what might otherwise be regarded as a legitimate business.

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Payment Alert for Change of Address, 911, and Tech Support

Among the 1,001 things you have to remember and sort out when you're moving is to make your change of address.

With so many other things on your mind, maybe it seems like a good idea to use a commercial address change notification service.

But beware! All may not be as it seems -- and you may end up paying more than you bargained for. We'll tell you more in this week's Snippets issue.

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WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN PROSPECTS DON'T RESPOND?

"Prospects aren't returning my calls." "I sent a prospective client two emails, and she still hasn't responded." "He cancelled our appointment, now he's not getting back to me." "They asked me for a proposal, and I spent hours preparing it, but I've heard nothing since then."

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? They sure do to me. Every week, my clients and students tell me similar stories. And then they ask one of two questions: "What am I doing wrong?" or "What's wrong with these people?"

Getting no response from prospects in whom you've invested time and energy can be frustrating, annoying, and deflating. It can make you feel like you're inadequate, barking up the wrong tree, or just plain wasting your time.

Don't despair! There are steps you can take to turn these situations around. But the answers may not be what you expect. First, here's what you need to know:

• There may be nothing wrong with your message. If you're leaving voice mails, sending emails and letters, or writing proposals, and not getting responses, the fault is not necessarily in the content of your communications. Changing the words you use may have no impact at all on how much response you get, but trying to find just the right message may end up consuming a great deal of your time.
• Your prospects are not intentionally being rude. It's hard not to take unresponsiveness personally, but it really isn't personal. Your prospects are NOT sitting there thinking, "I don't like her, so I'll ignore her," or "He's a jerk, so I'll get back at him by not replying." Prospects have their own concerns, priorities, and catastrophes consuming their attention, just like you do.
• Lack of response tells you nothing. When a prospect doesn't get back to you, you really can't know why. Trying to figure out the reason for their non-response can be crazy-making and time-consuming. You'd be better off just moving on to your next prospect, and trying again with the non-responsive one later. Nine times out of ten (or maybe even 99 times out of 100), a prospect's lack of response has nothing to do with you, or your message, at all.

Now, here are three suggestions to change how you deal with non-responsive prospects:

1. Change your approach for prospecting. If you are spending most of your time trying to find clients by making outbound calls and sending letters and emails, this can be a serious mistake. There are many other approaches for filling your marketing pipeline that are likely to produce better results for the typical independent professional.

Put more of your energy into marketing strategies that will result in stronger connections and better credibility, such as networking in person and online, building referral relationships, or writing and speaking. Prospects who have met you, been referred to you, read your articles and posts, or heard you speak are much more likely to respond to a call or email than those who don't know you.

2. Change who you are trying to reach. Warm prospects always respond better than cold ones. If you have been trying to contact people who don't know you, and you know little about, change your audience. Instead, seek out prospects who you already have a connection to.

You'll find more likely prospects in communities you are already a part of, for example, former co-workers, employees of companies you've worked for or done business with, members of your professional association, alumni of your school, members of your social media network, speakers or attendees at a conference you went to, and people who live or work in your neighborhood. These communities are also excellent sources to find people who might refer prospects to you.

3. Change your attitude. Unfortunately, prospects not returning calls and emails, cancelling appointments, and ignoring you after asking for a proposal are all common occurrences. Yes, this is frustrating. But it is a reality of doing business.

Try to put yourself in the shoes of the people you are trying to reach. Imagine that they are overworked and constantly interrupted, with not enough hours in the day to manage all their responsibilities, and a demanding boss or clients who are setting their priorities. Meanwhile, they are trying to have some time left over for themselves and their families.

Now picture your call, email, appointment, or proposal appearing in their day when it is not one of their top three priorities just then. They have to choose. Will they get back to you, and therefore delay one of those other things their boss, co-workers, clients, or families want from them, or perhaps not get out of the office in time for dinner with their spouse for the fourth night in a row?

Imagining difficult situations in your prospects' lives might help to not take their actions personally, and instead be polite, cheerful, and sympathetic as you persist in reaching out to them multiple times and in multiple ways.

What does it mean when prospects don't respond? Stop trying to answer that question, and instead, apply some of the suggestions above. This will make your own work day much less stressful and more productive.
Copyright © 2013, C.J. Hayden

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Safe Search Tips and Techniques

It's easy to assume when you do a search on the likes of Google, Bing or Yahoo! that you're getting the most popular results. Maybe, but don't assume it's a safe search result.

It's entirely possible that the top listings in your search are links to dubious websites, waiting to serve up spam advertising or offensive content, or to upload malware onto your PC.

So how did they get there and how can you avoid getting scammed, spammed or hacked this way?

Click here to read the full article.


©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Steer Clear of these Fake Accident, Social Security, Cell Phone and Medication Scams

Did you see it coming -- that cyclist lining up a fake accident or that dangerous "tip" that advised you to put your cell phone in the microwave?

You'll find the information on these two scams in this week's Snippets issues, along with a warning about a sneaky trick to hijack your Social Security payments.

Plus, we've got the latest on a new warning from the Food and Drug Administration on illegal diabetes medications.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Watch Out for these 5 School Scams

Because we all value a good education and trust the people who are supposed to provide it, it's relatively easy for crooks to pull off school scams.

Sometimes, the school is a victim. Other times it's the people who support them or people who want to improve their learning and qualifications.

This week, we highlight five school scams and show how you -- or your school -- can avoid falling victim.

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"Obamacare" Changes Spark Spate of Scams

Whether you're for it or against it, the machinery of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), often referred to as "Obamacare," is now in action -- and so are a number of scams that have followed in its wake.

We don't do politics here at Scambusters. There are other forums for that. We also can't explain how the Act works, provide advice or answer questions about it -- for info on that you need to visit www.healthcare.gov

But what we can say is that the changes to the healthcare system introduced by the new law, notably the arrival this month of the new insurance exchanges or marketplaces, have led to some confusion.

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Play Your Part in Cyber Security Campaign

It may sound a bit of a mouthful but National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), which celebrates its 10th anniversary this October, is a critical event on the scambusting calendar -- and you can play your part in making it a success.

NCSAM is an initiative from the Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance -- a technology industry group that runs the StaySafeOnline.org website.

The theme of this year's NCSAM is "Our Shared Responsibility," which puts emphasis on the role everyone has to play in making the Internet a safer place to work and play.

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WHERE DO YOU STOP IN YOUR MARKETING?

I think most of my readers work pretty hard at marketing themselves. It may seem like you are always going, going, going. But I find that for many entrepreneurs, there's a point where they stop -- a sticking place that always seems to trip them up, or they never seem to be able to get past.

For my client Sally, it was follow-up calls and emails. Sally always seemed to have an overflowing pipeline of prospects and potential referral sources. She had plenty of people to connect with about her business, to see if they'd like to explore becoming clients or discuss whether they would consider referring their contacts to her. But she never seemed to be able to reach out to these folks.

Often Sally's excuse was that she didn't have the time to place calls or write emails. She was busy serving her current clients... and doing even more marketing to fill her pipeline. Other times Sally set aside time for follow-up activities, but when it came down to placing a call or writing a note, she started to feel as if she would be bugging people. After all, they knew about her. If they needed her, they would get in touch, right?

Fritz, one of my students, had a different stopping place. He was very methodical about his initial follow-up and frequently landed several sales conversations with prospective clients each month. But Fritz choked when it was time to ask for the business. He just couldn't seem to say to a prospect, "Are you ready to get started?" or "Should I draw up a contract?" He was so afraid they would say no, he never gave them a chance to say yes.

Instead, Fritz often hung up the phone or walked out of the room without knowing whether the prospect wanted to do business with him or not. Sometimes these prospects would get back to him on their own and eventually become clients, but he lost many projects to competitors just because he didn't finalize the deal when he had the chance.

What do you notice about your own marketing? Is there a place where you often stop? Consider these possible stopping places I've noticed in my clients:

• Having to walk up to a stranger and say hello
• When people ask you to tell them about your business
• Making contact with a lead someone has given you
• When someone challenges your background or qualifications
• Placing another follow-up call when the first one got no response
• Publishing an article, blog post, or ebook you've written
• Introducing yourself to a group of people
• Talking about how good you are at what you do -- in a conversation, in a letter or email, or on your website

If you discover you have a stopping place like this, what can you do? First, recognize the power of simply noticing. Much of the time, we try to kid ourselves about blocks like these, pretending we are just too busy to do these activities, or that tactics like placing follow-up calls or attending networking events really don't matter. Once you become aware you are actively avoiding certain activities, it's much harder to ignore the significance of what you are doing.

Armed with your new awareness of how you may be getting in your own way, here are six ways to start working through your stopping places.

1. Create outside accountability with a business buddy, action group, or coach. When you make a commitment to someone else that you will take certain steps, you're much more likely to take them.
2. Talk to other entrepreneurs to "normalize" your experience. It can be tremendously helpful just to hear someone say "that scares me, too," or even better, "I used to get nervous about that until I..."
3. Practice working through your stopping place with a partner. Rehearse what to say when you meet people, describe your business, respond to a challenging questions, or place a marketing call.
4. Explore safe environments for learning new skills. Groups like Toastmasters or Speaking Circles can help you learn to speak about your business more confidently. Classes on networking, selling, and powerful communication provide structures and a supportive audience for raising your comfort level.
5. Let go of having to do it all perfectly. Much of our resistance to doing unfamiliar things can be because we fear we won't do them well enough. But getting better requires actual practice. Try to find the "good enough" place, where perhaps your phone call or blog post won't be perfect, but it will do for now. Know you will get better as you go along.
6. Ask for help from people you already know. Calls and emails become easier when a mutual friend makes an introduction. Positive feedback about your writing or your qualifications will increase your confidence.

Take a few quiet moments to think about what may be holding you back in your marketing. Once you can identify the place where you stop, you may have found the key to really get started.
Copyright © 2013, C.J. Hayden

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Alerts Sounded on Pension Loans, eBay Scams and TV Casting

Only a few weeks after our warning about a medical alert scam targeting seniors, we've encountered another warning for retirees -- pension loans, a costly variation of the predatory payday loan scam.

Payday loans, as most people know, are short-term loans intended to tide over borrowers until their next paycheck.

Interest charges are usually high but the scam element comes into play when lenders employ dubious techniques to push their loans, conceal the terms or charge outrageous interest rates (which are outlawed in some states).

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GAO Warns on Misleading 401k Rollover Info

When it comes to switching jobs, are you getting accurate advice on whether and how to transfer your retirement investment -- better known as a 401k rollover?

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) thinks not -- at least with some financial advisers.

That could lead to a costly mistake, as we explain in this week's issue.

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Are You a Victim of Hacked Email?

More and more these days, we're hearing reports about hacked email accounts -- in which individuals' accounts are hijacked by crooks and used to spam their victims' contacts.

Some members of our own team have been getting these types of messages, which appear to come from people they know.

Often they contain a link that leads either to a sales site or, worse, a malware download.

Or they may be one of those spoof distress emails claiming the supposed sender is in trouble and needs money. For more on this type of scam see the article: How Distress Scam Storylines Aim To Win Your Sympathy.

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YOU NEED CONNECTIONS, NOT JUST PROSPECTS

While you're busy building your business, it can be easy to hyperfocus on making contact only with people who might become clients. After all, you may reason, to have a successful business, you need a full pipeline of prospects. That's true, but prospective clients aren't the only type of contacts you need for your business to thrive.

Successful entrepreneurs go beyond just making the acquaintance of likely clients. They typically maintain a wide range of connections in a number of different fields. Why? Here are six reasons.

1. Referrals. Some of your best referral sources may turn out to be people who would never be candidates to become clients. Don't focus exclusively on current and former clients in your quest for referrals. Consider also other entrepreneurs who share your target market, people who work for companies that might hire you (even when those people are not decision-makers), and folks who seem to have a strong network themselves.

2. Leads for places to speak, network, or write articles. Your connections can often help you market yourself more effectively by suggesting where you might gain more visibility or make new contacts. Word of mouth from people in the know is often the best way to discover important venues like these.

3. Information about what's going on in your field or with a particular company. When you need to research trends and current happenings in order to position yourself correctly or close a specific deal, it's a godsend to be able to simply ask someone who has an answer at the ready.

4. Support. Entrepreneurship can be a lonely road, especially when you are low on client work. Your connections can serve as sounding boards, sources of inspiration, a cheering section, accountability partners, or help you brainstorm.

5. Testimonials, references and endorsements. It's not only clients that can speak to the quality and value of your work. Your connections can write you testimonials, endorse or recommend you (on LinkedIn or Yelp, for example), or serve as peer references. This can be especially helpful when you are new in business or changing directions.

6. Suggestions for valuable resources. A busy, successful entrepreneur needs to hire helpers or specialists, identify helpful books to read or classes to take, and find good deals on services and equipment. Your network can help with locating all of these essentials.

All these possible ways that others can help in your business make it clear that you need a strong network of contacts in order to succeed as an entrepreneur.

So while you are busily making contact with potential clients, don't forget to also spend time connecting with colleagues, and staying in touch with family, friends, neighbors, and former co-workers. Your contacts can contribute a lot more than just opportunities for sales conversations. They can provide the connections, information, and resources to propel your business to success.
Copyright © 2013, C.J. Hayden

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FinCEN on the Front Line of Financial Crime Battle

The importance of cooperation between financial institutions and law enforcement agencies in tracking down and blocking financial crime is highlighted by the activities of an important but little-known (at least in the public eye) agency -- FinCEN.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, to give it its full name, is the focus of our latest spotlight report on scambusting organizations.

It's part of the US Department of the Treasury and acts as a coordinator, bringing together various groups to share information in their effort to combat financial crime.

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Hurricane Myths Add to Urban Legends Collection

Most of the urban legends we encounter on our alphabetical around-the-states "tour" seem to concern spooks and monsters, and we've got our fair share of them this week as we visit Louisiana, Maine and Maryland.

But what really stood out in our research this time was the number of mysterious, uncertain and untrue stories surrounding the disastrous Hurricane Katrina of 2005.

As if the disaster didn't bring enough real-life drama and tragedy, many stories built on rumor and speculation seem to have gained credibility, even when they've subsequently proven to be untrue.

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Vanity Scam Targets Academics, Executives & Would-be Stars

The old saying that "pride goes before a fall" was never truer than when applied to a vanity scam.

These are the tricks con artists use to fool victims into thinking they've been singled out for some kind of honor -- with a costly sting in the tail.

And crooks, being resourceful people, can come up with some ingenious ways of convincing victims that their activities are genuine.

Their aim is either to steal personal information or fool people into paying for a non-existent event or publication.

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Medical Alert & Sugar Tax Scams Used for ID Theft

A massive new scam involving medical alert systems for seniors is sweeping the country.

The scam takes a number of different forms, but it's simple and effective.

It targets seniors, either telling them that they've ordered the equipment and it's about to be delivered or offering them supposedly free alert devices.

Read on for the details in this week's Snippets issue, along with a clutch of other new con tricks to be on the lookout for.

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7 Ways to Spot an Odometer Rollback Scam

Odometer rollback has to be one of the oldest tricks in the book. As long as people have been buying cars, sellers have been turning back the mileage to make their autos look like a better deal.

The remarkable thing is that, despite relentless campaigns and special investigations, unscrupulous sellers are still doing it.

Various estimates suggest:

* More than 450,000 cars are sold every year with false mileage readings.

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THE SIMPLE STUFF WORKS, WHEN YOU DO IT

"Hey, this stuff really works," said a recent email I received from a coaching client. "Why did I wait so long to do it?" He had been struggling with the most basic issue of marketing: how do you attract potential clients? Like many newcomers to business, his first ideas were all about advertising. He wanted to run ads online, post flyers, send mailings, and buy listings in online professional directories. He had a website, but no one was visiting.

When I suggested that the best way for him to attract clients in his specialty was not ads, but referrals, he was intrigued, but resistant. That would mean reaching out to influential people and having conversations with them about his work. He had a million questions and concerns. What if they didn't want to talk to him? What if they thought he wasn't good enough? What if they already knew plenty of other people to refer to? What if it didn't work?

Because developing a referral network seemed so far out of his comfort zone, he tried for some time to get clients in other ways: passing out his business card at random events, buying a couple of directory listings, designing a flyer, and mostly just hoping that somehow clients would find him. His results from these activities? Zero. He did manage to get two clients... both of who were referred to him by people he knew!

Finally, he agreed to try a referral-building approach. I helped him identify what categories of people would be good referral sources for him, then we strategized about how to best identify individuals who fit those categories. (I'm not mentioning my client's categories here to preserve his anonymity, but you can read more about this approach and see some examples in my article Wanted: 100 Referral Partners.)

My client thought he should look up people online who held the sort of positions his categories indicated, then contact them cold. No wonder this approach seemed so hard to him! I suggested that a much easier and more effective way was to either contact people in these categories who he already knew, or ask people he knew to introduce him to people like this.

Ah, but this entailed some risk. He would have to expose himself to the possibility of rejection from people he personally knew. What if they refused to help? Or didn't respond? Or asked him "who do you think you are?" It seemed safer somehow to contact strangers.

So we agreed he would begin by making ONE cold contact with a stranger, just to try out his approach. Together, we drafted an email, a phone script, and a letter that briefly summarized what he did and how his services might be helpful. He called a possible referral source he had found online, left his message on her voice mail, and the same day, sent her his prepared email.

She emailed him back immediately. "I'm not sure your services are a fit for my clients," she said. "But if you can tell me how they are, I'd be happy to speak with you." Wow, it seemed as if people might really be interested in talking to him. Perhaps this approach had some merit.

Encouraged by this first experience, he then contacted someone he already knew. She wrote back, "It's great to hear this is what you are doing now. Could you come speak to our group about it?" Whoa! He had been wondering for months how he would ever get to speak to audiences of potential clients. Now one email -- that didn't even ask about speaking -- had produced an invitation.

He reached out to another contact. The response: "Hey, this is a great list of resources you have on your website. I'm going to send a message about it to my professional network." Another out-of-the-blue offer that was far beyond what he was hoping for.

After exactly one week of using this approach, my client had two offers of speaking engagements, the names of a dozen new potential referral sources to contact, a message sent -- by someone else -- to 700 potential referral sources recommending his website as a resource, and three meetings set up with people who could potentially refer to him.

"I can't believe how simple this was," my client told me. "Or how complicated I was trying to make it."

What simple stuff have you been avoiding in your marketing? Where have you been making things harder than they really need to be? What is one simple step you could take today toward employing a marketing approach you may have been resisting?

The simple stuff DOES work, but only when you do it.

Copyright © 2013, C.J. Hayden

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CLUE Yourself in About This Insurance Report

From time to time we step outside the world of scams to look at the broader issue of data privacy and security, and the organizations that collect information about you, like credit scoring agencies and, this week, insurance report compilers.

In this issue, we're highlighting a little-known database called CLUE, which holds information about any auto or homeowners' insurance claims you make.

Just like your credit score, the information in these records, accessible by any subscribing insurance company -- which means most of them -- can be used to decide whether or not to do business with you.

Click here to read the full article. 


©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Imposter Scammers Pose as Registry Officials -- and Even Spies!

Imposter scams, in which con artists pose as friends, relatives and officials from legitimate organizations, have been steadily increasing during the past few years.

They've taken a sinister and cunning turn, in which scammers pretend to be from the very organizations that are supposed to protect them.

The Do Not Call Registry is the latest victim.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Top 3 Targets for Reloading Scams

Reloading is like a form of haunting -- a crook repeatedly returns to and preys on his previous victims until they've got no money left.

Mostly, the scammers rely on the gullibility of their victims and their yearning to make good on their painful loss.

We hope you never fall victim to a scam, but, just in case, make sure you don't get taken a second time...

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Seafood Fraud: What's Really On Your Dish?

We don't want to spoil your fish dinner but we have alarming news for you: Around half of the fish and other seafood you eat may not be what it says on the label or the market stall.

Research a couple of years back by the Boston Globe showed that 48% of the fish bought at restaurants, grocery stores and markets was mislabeled as a more expensive type.

And there's no reason to think the situation has changed or that it's confined to the state of Massachusetts.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Scam Words Crooks Use to Trick You

Cyber crooks have their own dictionary of scam words.

They know that certain terms are more likely to get you to click on links and attachments that lead to trouble.

In this week's issue we explain how they use shipping-related words for one set of scams, as well as some other terms to be on the lookout for.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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BEFORE YOU MARKET, STOP AND THINK

One of my coaching clients recently asked my opinion about whether she should try out a new marketing approach. She's a psychotherapist who has always gotten clients primarily by referral. She had been contacted by a couple of people who were trying to sell her on using social media to increase her therapy practice. Instead of advising her about this, I asked her some questions (see below).

Thirty minutes later, she was shaking her head, wondering why she ever thought this was a good idea for her type of business and personal situation. Before she talked to me, she had been ready to pay a hefty sum for a training program and invest a considerable amount of time to dive into a whole new way to market her business. But my questions made her stop and think.

Stopping to think about what's involved in a new marketing approach before you adopt it can be a worthwhile practice! Here are five questions to ask yourself before you take this sort of leap:

1. What activities and skills will this new approach require? Are those activities you enjoy participating in and skills you already have? My therapist client recognized that she really didn't enjoy spending a lot of time online, and was often frustrated by technology. Sure, she could learn new skills and habits, but if she was going to do that, she'd rather learn to be a better public speaker, and attract more business that way.

2. Do you see many of your colleagues using this approach? If not, maybe there's a reason. A management consultant I worked with was buying ads in publications and websites aimed at his target market. After I pointed out that no other consultants seemed to be advertising in those places, he conferred with a senior colleague. "No one hires a management consultant from an ad," his colleague said. "We get our clients from networking, referrals, speaking, and writing."

3. Will the person who is recommending this approach make a profit if you use it? Be skeptical if the people who suggest you adopt a new marketing method are trying to sell you their services to use it. Salespeople for search engine optimization, advertising, trade shows, and expensive trainings or memberships can be very persuasive. Try asking them, "Is this approach right for everyone?" If they say yes, their agenda is to close sales, not to help you succeed.

4. Are there other marketing approaches you previously decided on that you haven't yet fully executed? My therapist client realized that she had never carried out the referral-building strategy she had designed earlier that year. So of course it wasn't working for her! This was an approach that had worked for her in the past, and for which she had most of the needed tools already in place. It made a lot more sense to resume this stalled plan than to design a whole new one.

5. Is there another way to use the same time and money that may produce better results? Before launching any new marketing approach, take a hard look at the effort involved and what it might cost you. An executive coach who worked with me was sure that exhibiting at a conference in his niche was a terrific idea, until I asked this question. With the same time and money needed to build, staff, and pay for an exhibit booth, he could redo his outdated website and launch a blog.

Why does our critical thinking often seem to fly out the window when we hear about a new way to market ourselves? It's human nature to seek an easier path. Buying an ad, exhibiting at a trade show, taking a social media class, or paying an SEO firm can seem "easier" than picking up the phone and calling our prospects, setting up coffee with referral sources, or re-writing our website copy. This is especially true when there's a persuasive vendor ready to take our money.

Marketing approaches like the ones my clients above walked away from are not inherently wrong. For some people and situations, these strategies are exactly the right way to go. But for these particular entrepreneurs -- for their personal situation, type of business, and market niche -- these approaches were off target.

But to discover this, they needed to stop and think.
Copyright © 2013, C.J. Hayden

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Gift Cards, Sudoku Puzzles, Phone and Voicemail Scams

Just when you thought you were wise to gift card scams, crooks come up with a new way of ripping you off.

They've also revised a sneaky call-forwarding trick as well as devising how to use number puzzles to get malware onto your PC.

All the details and more in this week's issue of Scambusters.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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How to Beat the Ransomware Crooks

Although it's been around for years, ransomware, which locks your PC and demands payment to free it, has suddenly ballooned, threatening millions of computer owners.

Crooks use clever techniques to scare victims into paying up, but even if you do, your troubles are unlikely to be over.

But you can beat the ransomware crooks, using some basic avoidance tactics and knowing what to do if they get through your defenses -- as we explain in this week's issue.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Travel Scam Alert 2013 Part 2: 7 More Vacation Tricks

Last week, we gave you the lowdown on 7 of the latest travel scam tricks for 2013. This week, we have another 7!

They include new variations of old tricks -- like setting up bogus parking lots -- to a new series of "good Samaritan" scams aimed at relieving travelers of their money when they buy train tickets.

Then there's the "helpful" con artist who tells you the venue you planned to visit is closed, but he has something else to show you. All this and more in this issue.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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SPEAKING YOUR CLIENTS' LANGUAGE

Language is the currency of marketing. It may seem like getting clients for your business is about money, but communication is the real key. In order for someone to become your client, they must first understand what you are offering, relate your offer to something they want or need, grasp how your service can help them, and determine that you are the right person to do what's needed.

To accomplish these milestones, you and your clients must be speaking the same language. But all too often, this is not the case. Here are four communication pitfalls to watch out for in your marketing.

1. Avoid industry jargon. A client of mine who specialized in writing newsletters and fact sheets for corporate clients was in the habit of introducing herself as a "communications consultant." That's the label professionals in her industry used to describe the type of work she did, and it had never occurred to her that others might not understand it.

I suggested she ask some people outside her industry what they thought this job title meant. She was shocked to discover that the majority of people she asked thought she taught classes in how to communicate, or helped people to become better public speakers. She started introducing herself instead as a business writer specializing in employee and customer communications, and immediately began connecting with more potential clients.

2. Speak to the need. It's a common mistake of independent professionals to offer clients what the professional thinks they need instead of what clients believe they need or want. For example, coaching. Most clients are not actually looking for "coaching"; they are looking for something that working with a coach might help them get, like a new job or a promotion or higher earnings.

Offering help with specific goals that a client might already be seeking is more likely to result in a sale than promoting a service that clients may not even realize they could benefit from.

3. Put questions before answers. When communicating in writing or from a podium, you may need to guess about what clients are looking for, but in a one-to-one conversation, you can just ask.

I was speaking with a virtual assistant recently who learned that I had multiple websites. She immediately launched into an enthusiastic explanation of how she could help me keep them updated. Not once did she ask me about my own level of technical skill (which is probably higher than hers) or whether I already had a virtual assistant (yes, I do). What a waste of a conversation. Instead, she could have spent that time asking me what assisting needs I did have and how she could potentially be of service.

4. Establish your worth. Clients want to make sure you are the right person for the job, but they may not care at all about the qualifications you think are important. It's not going to help you get a tax preparation client if you tell them all about your Enrolled Agent credential, but what they want to know is whether you have experience with multi-state returns and relocation bonuses.

Ask your potential clients what they are looking for in an accountant, web designer, ghostwriter, etc., before you start describing your background.

The key to good communication is usually not talking, but listening. Listen to the questions prospective clients ask for clues to how you may not be explaining yourself well. Ask your own questions about their needs and the deciding factors that will be important to them. When you and your clients start speaking the same language, your words might just turn to gold.

Copyright © 2013, C.J. Hayden

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Travel Scam Alert 2013 Part 1: 7 Tricks to Watch For

You think you've heard or read about them all, but with the vacation season upon us, the travel scam experts have come up with a new batch of tricks to catch out the unwary tourist.

We've been writing about travel scams almost since Scambusters Day One, and if you're planning to hit the road or the airport, it's worth checking out some of our earlier issues because almost all of the tricks we reported then are still in play.

Travel Scams -- Here, There and Everywhere
 
Travel Scams: 10 Tips to Avoid Getting Taken
 
5 New Travel Scams

Click here to read the full article.

 
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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The Highs and Lows of a Facebook Scam

Facebook users who mistakenly believe they can discover who's been checking their profile still make up the largest group of Facebook scam victims, says a newly published report.

According to the online news service TechNewsDaily, almost a quarter of all scams on the world's biggest social network were links to bogus websites offering to tell users who might be stalking them without being official followers.

The scam, which we have reported on previously, then tells victims they have to download a program that will give them the information they need. In reality, it uploads malware onto their machines.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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Thieves Target Your Password, Your ID -- and Your Car

Password theft is back in the spotlight in this week's Snippets issue, with latest details of the worst ones straight off the crooks' own lists.

We also have the lowdown on two sneaky financial scams -- one targeting small business owners.

And we report on an unusual job scam that, in some cases, even takes victims south of the border.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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10 Ways to Spot a Fake Video

How many times have you passed on an amazing video clip that landed in your inbox, only to learn later it was a fake video?

The Internet is teeming with them, from phony UFO encounters to a bogus clip of a man who can supposedly sculpt faces on a lollipop in his mouth!

Some of them are incredibly convincing and painstakingly made. Some do not even start out as intentional hoaxes but are picked up by web surfers and attached to a hoax story.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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SELLING IS A CONVERSATION, NOT A PRESENTATION

In the new third edition of Get Clients Now!, I decided to change the name of the third stage of the Universal Marketing Cycle from "getting presentations" to "having sales conversations."

If you haven't read the book yet (or it's been a while), here's what I mean by "stages" of marketing. The Universal Marketing Cycle is an insightful diagnostic tool to help consultants, coaches, and independent professionals choose where to focus your marketing efforts. Picture your marketing opportunities as if they flowed through a water system. At the top are collection buckets for the prospects, contacts, leads, and referrals with which you are filling the pipeline (Stage).

Your marketing pipeline empties into a follow-up pool (Stage 2), which you dip into in order to move potential clients and referral sources further along in the system. With potential clients, you want to move quickly to having a sales conversation (Stage 3). If they say yes at the end of the sales conversation, you have a new client. If they say anything else, you have more work to do in order to close the sale (Stage 4).

At any given time, one of these four stages is likely to be a place where you feel somewhat stuck. That stage is where you need to put your energy in marketing and sales right now, as opposed to any other part of the cycle.

With that context in mind, let's look a bit more deeply into the third stage of the cycle, and why I felt it necessary to give it a new name.

I've noticed over many years of teaching the Get Clients Now! system that people tend to shy away from choosing Stage 3 as their area of focus. Filling the pipeline usually sounds like more fun. Following up often seems like it's an activity you've been avoiding and are now feeling ready to take on. Closing sales is something we all know we need to do. But that intervening stage between following up and closing the sale doesn't seem to get much attention.

I'd like to change that. I think we all need to pay attention to that third stage at some point in the development of our approach to marketing and selling. When it comes right down to it, the whole purpose of following up with prospective clients really should be to have a conversation with them about becoming a client.

But wait, isn't the purpose of follow-up to get prospects to BECOME clients? In other words, to close the sale? Well, no. At least not until you know if you want them to be your clients in the first place.

Selling professional services is not like selling vitamins or software or ebooks or home-study courses. When you sell customers a product, you don't necessarily have to talk to them first. But if you are going to personally deliver services to clients, they're gonna want to talk to you before they sign on. And, you should want to talk to them, too. How else will you know if they are even a fit for what you do?

Customers who are unhappy with a product are relatively easy to deal with. You tell them to return it, you refund their money, and they are out of your life. But clients who aren't happy with the service you are providing -- whether it isn't what they were expecting, it doesn't address their issue, or they just don't like the way you work -- will make your life miserable. They will drain your energy, distract you from the good work you are doing for your other clients, and can even harm your reputation.

Selling is a conversation. It's not a presentation. I've always explained Stage 3 of the Universal Marketing Cycle by saying it's the time and place where you ask your potential clients what they are looking for, tell them what you have to offer, and the two of you together see if there is a match. But calling this activity "presenting" your services has I think misled readers and students into thinking this could be done: a) in a one-way monologue, b) with a canned speech and/or PowerPoint, or c) by writing killer copy.

My hope is that a new name for this stage will bring it some of the attention it deserves. We need to have sales conversations with our prospective clients in order for them to screen us, and for us to screen them. Encouraging conversations like these must be part of our approach to marketing.

We may be able to fill our pipeline with impersonal or one-to-many tactics like social media posts, sending broadcast email, postcards, or running ads. We may even be able to follow up with mass-produced communications like emails, online posts, and cards. But at some point, if we want prospects to become clients, we need to talk to them.

If you've been focusing your marketing on any of the other stages of the Universal Marketing Cycle -- or maybe all three of them -- without getting the kind of results you'd like, perhaps it's time for you to put some attention on our newly renamed friend, the sales conversation.
Copyright © 2013, C.J. Hayden

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The 5 Most Important Internet Security Tools

Internet security is, or should be, the number one consideration for all online computer users. Let your guard down for a second and your finances, and even your way of life, could be dangerously at risk.

Yet, with just a handful of "tools" you could be almost totally secure. We say "almost" because, of course, no set-up, not even government computer systems, is infallible.

When it comes down to it, there are just five tools that will provide most of the protection you need Internet security software, a password manager, a firewall (we'll talk more about this in a moment), virtual credit card numbers, and privacy settings.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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IS IT TIME TO RESET YOUR MARKETING PLAN?

Is your marketing plan producing the results you need? When was the last time you evaluated your plan to see if it is leading you toward success? Are you even using a marketing plan at all? Here are four questions to help you determine whether it's time to reset your plan.

1. Are you getting in touch every month with at least three times as many new clients as you need? Not every prospective client will say yes. You need to have a marketing pipeline filled with prospects, contacts, leads, and referrals that you can draw from. If your marketing activities aren't connecting you with three or more times as many possible clients as you want each month, your pipeline won't be full enough to support you.
2. When you sit down to work on marketing, do you know what to do next? Many entrepreneurs find themselves spending more time thinking about how to market than actually doing it. Or simply reacting to outside influences (event invitations, ad solicitations, etc.), rather than proactively choosing what to do.
3. Are you spending the majority of your marketing time using the most effective approaches to get clients? For independent professionals, the best ways to get clients all involve building personal connections and establishing your expertise. Posting or emailing promos for your business, running ads, or designing a website no one visits are examples of activities that don't accomplish this.
4. Do you feel excited and motivated about marketing your business? There's no boss looking over your shoulder making you spend time on marketing. When you don't feel engaged and positive about your own marketing, you're more likely to neglect it than to embrace it.

If you didn't answer yes to all of these questions, it's time you had a marketing plan that truly serves you, instead of one that takes up time and money without producing results. Here are some steps to start building a powerful, focused, compelling plan:

• Identify the two or three marketing strategies MOST likely to be effective with your target audience, and spend most of your marketing time using just those strategies. Focus on strategies that help you build connections and position yourself as an expert.
• For each marketing strategy you plan to use, choose the tactics you feel most comfortable with employing. If you plan to reach out to prospects by phone, warm calls may be more comfortable than cold calls. Networking can be accomplished with one-on-one coffee dates rather than attending mixers filled with strangers. When you choose activities closer to your comfort zone, you'll be much more likely to actually engage in them.
• Make a written plan that states exactly what you will do, how much of it, and when. Plan your marketing activities just once, then do them many times. Saying you will "network" is not a plan. Writing that you will "attend one live networking event per week," then putting those dates on your calendar -- that's a plan you can truly use.
• Measure both your progress and your results, and re-evaluate your plan monthly. Track your progress by noting which activities in your plan are completed each week. Then you can reward yourself for what you've done, or see when you need to allow more time for marketing. Set a goal each month for new prospects or new clients, so you'll have a benchmark to evaluate how well your plan is working.

You don't need to be a marketing expert to create an effective business-building plan. You just need to follow a few basic principles like those above. This time next month, you could be on track to having all the clients you want.
Copyright © 2013, C.J. Hayden

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5 Ways to Avoid a QR Code Scam

The QR code, those boxes full of digital dots and square blobs that you see on so many products and ads these days, has become the latest tool for spammers and malware crooks.

If you own a smartphone, you probably already know QRs, using your built-in phone camera to scan the code and then using a code reader to take you to a website where, supposedly, you'll get more information.

"QR" stands for "Quick Response" (sometimes also "Quick Read") and that's exactly what these multidimensional barcodes are for. They're supposed to save you the time and trouble of making a note of a website address by taking you straight there.

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