Greed makes a shopping disaster
Money is not something that is easy to come by, and most of us want to get as much as we can out of our purchases. This could be in the form of getting free gifts with purchases or special buys at lower prices.
However, it is important not to let greed get in the way of trying to find a bargain. This was brought to me when I read an article in today’s newspaper about a woman who had lost RM33,000 in what she perceived to be a half price offer.
Upon purchasing 2 mobile phones for a bargain, she was told that she had won a cash prize but she had to pay a “commission” in order to receive the prize. This should set alarm bells ringing. Needless to say, she paid up and paid up more to win bigger prizes. In the end, it turned out to be a scam and she got nothing, except maybe her mobile phones.
So, when shopping, beware greed rearing its ugly head:
- You never have to pay money or commissions to win prizes.
- If something sounds to good to be true, it probably is.
This lady ended up paying RM33,000 for 2 mobile phones from a shady dealer she found in the newspaper ads. All because she wanted to save a little bit of money instead of buying them at a proper mobile phone dealer.
Careful with Ebay links too!
I previously posted a warning
about not clicking on links purportedly coming from Paypal. This time, my warning is similar, but related to links purportedly coming from Ebay.com.
If you own an Ebay account, you may sometimes get emails purporting to be from Ebay, telling you to update your account information. Like Paypal, Ebay will always address you by your name that you registered with. They will never refer to you as “Dear Ebay Member” or “Dear (username)”. It will always be “Dear (your name)”.
Similarly, if in doubt, log into your ebay account by typing ebay’s address into your browser address bar. If you don’t have a warning message there, then its likely your email is a hoax. Whatever you do (real email or not) do not click on email links or risk getting your account hijacked.
If you aren’t an ebay member then, um… I guess you have nothing to worry about! 
