Never, and I mean never, send money over the Internet to someone you don’t know.
Maybe you saw photos of a cherry ride on Craig’s list, but it’s far away and the owner says she can ship it if you just wire her some money. What???? She may seem like a sweet grandma who bakes cookies, but she may actually be an inmate at Sing Sing with a deep voice, a long rap sheet and a penchant for crushing skulls! Okay, that last part may be a bit over the top, but you get what I’m saying.
Or just maybe you are simply shopping for a vacation rental in The Keys. You found one that looks good and the price sounds really cheap. Are you completely sure that the property even exists? I know, it sounds awful, but that is a pretty common scam, so don’t wire money to that person either.
There are also struggling college kids who get scammed out of big money online in that same manner when they are just trying to find a place to live for the semester. No matter what type of property you are looking into, just make sure you are dealing with a reputable source and properties that actually exist before you pay anyone for anything.
One last word to the wise…when you are shopping for big ticket items online, you also need to make sure that you don’t enable anyone to gain access to your personal financial information or accounts. Never provide any sensitive information in an email, through an unverified link or on an unverified website. Scammers are everywhere and getting smarter every day. It is extremely important to think defensively and very wisely about your financial decisions and transactions to keep all your hard-earned money safe!