No shortage of scammers today

Whatever the issue, there seems like there's someone ready to take advantage of the unsuspecting.

The McCook Police Department recently issued a couple of warnings about possible scams that had been brought to its attention.

The first involved a company offering home repair insurance, that promised to foot the bill, for instance, if the water line from the city main to your home is damaged. Unfortunately, many complaints have been received about the company, and it recently announced the layoff of hundreds of phone-bank employees, so perhaps the numbers of complaints will subside.

A second involved several McCook residents who received notice that they had won $100,000, and a $2,650 "cashier's check" from Puerto Rico, which required a call to Canada to "activate" the check and another to another number if the claim is not received in time -- which, of course, it is not. The "check" is supposedly to cover processing fees and taxes.

The problem, police remind us, is that there are no legitimate international lotteries in which U.S. citizens may participate, and no legitimate lottery requires winners to pay a processing fee, or to pay taxes on the lottery.

But those are just a couple of local examples.

The Better Business Bureau recently released its list of the Top Scams of 2011.

The Scam of the Year?

Phishing. Thousands or millions of us receive what look like legitimate e-mails from the BBB or other legitimate organizations, listing something like "Complaint Against Your Business" and instructions to click on a link or open an attachment. Don't do it.

Other top scams:

Jobs: Secret shopper schemes, work-from-home scams and other phony job offers do nothing but dash your hopes and steal your identity.

Check cashing scams: Craigslist and Western Union are used to part you from your money. They send you a check for more than they owe, ask you to deposit into your bank account and wire them the difference. When the original check bounces, you're out the money.

Sales scams: Penny auctions charge you a small fee for each bid; not all are scams, but some are being investigated as online gambling. The BBB recommends you treat them like gambling in a casino -- make sure you know how bidding works, set a limit and be prepared to walk away when you go over the limit.

But those aren't all.

Some Nebraskans report receiving calls from people claiming to be from DirecTV or OPPD claiming there was a problem with their bill, and seeking credit card or PIN numbers.

To be safe, never give out your credit card, ATM or bank account number to anyone who calls you first. Make double sure you know who you are speaking to.

And the old, oft-repeated axiom is as true as ever: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.