What are Bulk E-mail Scams?
Offers for business opportunities pour into e-mail boxes everyday. It is the most common type of unsolicited commercial e-mail. Many of these are scams. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is asking people to forward unsolicited commercial e-mail to them. The FTC has found that most bulk e-mail offers appear fraudulent.
What are the Most Commons Scams?
The FTC has found that some of the most common scams are: - Business opportunities
- These e-mails will inform the consumer that it is easy to start a business with high earnings potential without much work or investment. You are usually given a phone number to call. Many are illegal pyramid schemes.
- Bulk e-mail
- These offers will try to sell you lists of e-mail addresses so that you can send your own solicitations. They may also offer to do the e-mailing for you. However, sending bulk e-mail may be against the policy of many Internet service providers; you may be shut down. It is also possible that you may be breaking state laws.
- Chain letters
- This scam is similar to the traditional chain letter. You are told to send money to a certain number of people on a list and replace one name with one or your own (and then forward the message). These schemes are usually illegal and most people just lose money when they participate.
- Work-at-home schemes
- You may be promised steady income for activities such as envelope-stuffing or craft assembly work. However, you will usually have to pay a small fee to get started. Then, instead of envelope-stuffing, for example, you will have to perpetuate the scam by sending the same offer to others.
- Health and diet scams
- Some e-mail messages may offer to sell you weight-loss pills or herbal formulas. These substances supposedly do not require much, if any, effort on your part. These scams do not work.
- Effortless income
- Some schemes will offer you unlimited profits in easy-money opportunities. However, such wealth usually requires more effort and hard work.
What Other Kinds of Scams are There?
There are many other kinds of scams in bulk e-mail. You may be offered free goods, but only if you pay a fee and recruit other participants. You may also be confronted with investment opportunities that promise high rates of return with low risk. Other scams offer cable descrambler kits for a small fee (which usually doesn't work). You may be offered guaranteed loans or credit on easy terms that are also fraudulent. Credit repair scams may offer to erase negative information from your credit file (but they cannot deliver on their promises). Finally, you may be told that you have won a vacation prize, but this may require the payment of a fee. Do I Need a Lawyer Experienced with Bulk E-mail Scams?
A lawyer may be able to help you detect a fraudulent bulk e-mail scam. A lawyer can also inform you of any risks you run when pursuing any offer in an e-mail. If you run into any of these offers that you are thinking about pursuing, you may want to consult a lawyer, as well as the FTC. |
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