"The Little Black Book of Scams" (downloadable)

Even though it first ran almost two years ago, "Help Kids Canada - a scam or only half a scam?" continues to draw comments from kids who have got sucked into working for the scammers as well as from the scammees. People keep saying, "If we'd only known..."

And of course there are lots of other scams out there which have been going on for years, lots of lowlifes making a good living out of knowing what to say and do to separate you from your money.

Apart from the old "buy a chocolate bar for charity" scam, fraudsters use internet scams, money transfer requests, pyramid schemes, fake lotteries, non-existent sweepstakes and dishonest contests. Some of these scams disappear for a few years, but then resurface with a slightly different twist, the classic example being the "Spanish prisoner" letter.

Who falls for this stuff? If you've been bitten, don't be ashamed. Most of us have been taken in at one time or another. Not becoming a victim is easier said than done. The best way to arm yourself is with information. The Competition Bureau of Canada has just published its version of a booklet which originated with its Australian counterpart, which explains how to protect yourself against fraud. It’s called The Little Black Book of Scams.

And get this. It's FREE. No strings attached. You can get it from a reputable source, namely Walt Whiteman. Just click here to open the .pdf file, which you can read or save. The file size is only 1.73 MB so it's well worth keeping and passing along to your friends.