Personal Finance

Avoiding Personal Finance Scams

Personal finance scams are among the easiest of scams for criminals to run – those looking for many of the personal finance services we list can be desperate for a solution to their debt issues, can be facing huge bills for tax or are facing bankruptcy.

The levels of emotion and desperation caused by these types of financial worries can easily make people susceptible to a scammer’s lies and when the promise of an easy quick solution is offered, desperation can cloud a victim’s judgement.

Be it a cold caller offering to get rid of all their debt for only $1450 up front – or to eliminate their IRS tax debt, or give them a perfect credit score the temptation is easy to understand.

And of course as the FTC regularly covers – by then it’s too late. The scammer doesn’t provide the service advertised and the victim is left even further in debt with added emotional stresses from the crime’s fallout.

The FTC have brought scores of law enforcement actions against these personal finance scam companies and partnered with state law enforcement to bring them down – but the key issues continue and we receive a number of reports every month from consumers who are still facing robocalls, hard selling tactics and false claims.

So how can you protect yourself when looking for personal finance services?

• Only use legitimate and trusted companies, such as those we list above.
• Do not deal with companies who call you – be the one to reach out to the company.
• Check a company’s credentials at the BBB and with your local Chamber of Commerce if they are in-state.
• Read online reviews – is there a pattern of complaints with the company concerned?

And most importantly, if they ask for any money up front while making big promises to solve all your financial worries – walk away.