My nieceworks for the FBI, and she passed along info about the most common scams thatthe FBI investigates, along with tips to help prevent you from beingvictimized. 

    "You must act 'now' or theoffer won't be good."    "You've won a 'free' gift,vacation, or prize." But you have to pay for "postage andhandling" or other charges.    "You must send money, give acredit card or bank account number, or have a check picked up by courier."You may hear this before you have had a chance to consider the offer carefully.    "You don't need to check outthe company with anyone." The callers say you do not need to speak toanyone including your family, lawyer, accountant, local Better Business Bureau,or consumer protection agency.    "You don't need any writteninformation about their company or their references."    "You can't afford to miss this'high-profit, no-risk' offer."    If you hear these or similar"lines" from a telephone salesperson, just say "no thankyou" and hang up the telephone.

      Don't buy from an unfamiliarcompany. Legitimate businesses understand that you want more information abouttheir company and are happy to comply.      Always ask for and wait until youreceive written material about any offer or charity. If you get brochures aboutcostly investments, ask someone whose financial advice you trust to review them.But, unfortunately, beware—not everything written down is true.      Always check out unfamiliarcompanies with your local consumer protection agency, Better Business Bureau,state attorney general, the National Fraud Information Center, or otherwatchdog groups. Unfortunately, not all bad businesses can be identifiedthrough these organizations.      Obtain a salesperson's name,business identity, telephone number, street address, mailing address, andbusiness license number before you transact business. Some con artists give outfalse names, telephone numbers, addresses, and business license numbers. Verifythe accuracy of these items.   Before you give money to a charityor make an investment, find out what percentage of the money is paid incommissions and what percentage actually goes to the charity or investment.     Before you send money, ask yourselfa simple question. "What guarantee do I really have that this solicitorwill use my money in the manner we agreed upon?"     Don’t pay in advance for services.Pay services only after they are delivered.     Be wary of companies that want tosend a messenger to your home to pick up money, claiming it is part of theirservice to you. In reality, they are taking your money without leaving anytrace of who they are or where they can be reached.     Always take your time making adecision. Legitimate companies won't pressure you to make a snap decision.     Don't pay for a "freeprize." If a caller tells you the payment is for taxes, he or she isviolating federal law.     Before you receive your next salespitch, decide what your limits are—the kinds of financial information you willand won't give out on the telephone.     Be sure to talk over big investmentsoffered by telephone salespeople with a trusted friend, family member, orfinancial advisor. It's never rude to wait and think about an offer.     Never respond to an offer you don'tunderstand thoroughly.     Never send money or give outpersonal information such as credit card numbers and expiration dates, bankaccount numbers, dates of birth, or social security numbers to unfamiliarcompanies or unknown persons.     Be aware that your personalinformation is often brokered to telemarketers through third parties.     If you have been victimized once, bewary of persons who call offering to help you recover your losses for a feepaid in advance.     If you have information about afraud, report it to state, local, or federal law enforcement agencies.     Spread the word! Law enforcementwill usually speak to groups on this and other policing matters. A neighborhoodwatch, for example, could contact a local PD or Fed Agency to see if they wouldcome speak to a group.