It all starts when someone offers you something too good to be true. They give you a realistic looking check or money order and then asks you to wire the money somewhere and they will pay you for helping them.

Its a phony, and so is the persons story. Once you cash the check it may take weeks or even months to discover you have been swindled.  And you know what ... you are left holding the bag and you could be out thousands of dollars. Here are some common scams - read them and don't become a victim.

<u>FOREIGN BUSINESS OFFERS</u>

They all promise you millions. You have seen them. On the internet, in your mail box, even a phone call. Offers come in many varieties, from many countries, but none of their promises will come through. They pretend to be business people or government officials. <u>Real </u>companies, don't contact strangers in countries to offer business propositions. DON'T DO IT.

<u>OVERPAYMENTS</u>

They don't want the merchandise, they want your money. That is the bottom line. They want your money. They will offer overpayments on items you advertised in classified adds or on line auctions. They will claim they made a mistake, ask you to deposit the money in your account and return the excess to them. DON'T DO IT.

<u>RENTAL SCHEMES</u>

They claim to be moving from outside of the area, maybe from another country. They send you a check to cover whatever you ask and then some. Suddenly they have unexpected expenses and ask you to send some of the deposit back as a favor. But the truth is . . . they never intended to move into the rental property. By the time you discover the scam, they have already found another victim. DON'T DO IT.

These are just a few of the scams. Later in the week I will cover a few other scams hitting the Bay View Milwaukee Metro area.