I want to re-visit "being scammed." It's something we always need to be aware of. I've been scammed and I'm sure most people reading this have been scammed. When I first started on here 10 years ago - boy I couldn't even tell you how much money I lost trying to get started on here and trusting others.

Today I tell people - don't trust anyone right away on here. I even tell my clients to not trust me.
I have to earn their trust.

Here are my personal quick tips to you to avoid scams - as you venture out online looking for opportunities, ways to spend your money.

1. Never buy from a website if they don't have a contact telephone number.

2. Only use one credit card when buying online.

3. Check out a site before joining their program or buying (visit scam sites or forums to see if there are existing complaints - see a list I put together below.).

4. If you aren't a member of forums, join some and get to know others. You'll quickly learn the ones that have been around a while. Look to them for advice - after building some sort of relationship with them.

5. Don't rush into anything. Take your time.

6. If buying advertising, test the smaller packages first to see if they pull. Don't jump in and buy the most expensive package. If it doesn't pull results, you'll only be hurt and angry.

Take a a look at http://www.niba4u.com/consult/ . If there's one person you want on your side when you have been scammed it's Bobbette Madonna . NIBA fights for us. If we've lost money as a result of a program "disappearing" when money is due... If we've purchased services and they weren't delivered nor refunds given... If we've been scammed, Bobbette and her team are there to take care of us!

Article: "Identity Theft… a personal story"
From the Files of The Raybourn Effect

When we think of "identity theft" we often think of credit card fraud - others stealing our social security number to obtain credit cards.

All the clever commercials out there make us associate identity theft with credit card theft.

I'm going to share with you two accounts of how my identity was stolen and in both cases, credit cards were not involved. In one year I fell victim twice to identity theft.

I'll also be sharing steps on what to do if you fall victim.

In July of 2001 I moved from Colorado to Texas. In May of 2003 I began receiving phone calls from lawyers demanding payment for bad checks I had apparently written in Colorado only a month earlier.

Several checks had been written all over Colorado at convenient stores – checks with my name, an old business name of mine and an address I have not lived at for more than 8 years.

While I'm on the phone with the lawyer I stated that on two of those dates I made purchases at Walmart and Lowes here in Texas. Immediately the lawyer stated I needed to file an Identity Theft police report and fed ex it to them.

I was also able to have the checks mailed to me, front and back.

While waiting for the checks I filed a police report and checked my credit report online of all three agencies. The checks weren't on there - YET – but they had some odd things in there, including me living in Sanger, California. I've never lived California.

That should have raised a red flag for me, but it wasn't until a year later that I discovered "why" they had me living in California.

Was I panicking? Well I had a warrant out for my arrest, and I had lawyers contacting me... yes, I was in an extreme panic mode.

My first step was to file a police report. My second step was to file affidavits with the credit agencies in case these bad checks appeared. I'll detail all the steps I took below, steps you should follow if you fall victim.

Once the checks arrived I had to have the police come back to file a follow up report. There were more than four different phone numbers on the checks and the driver's license number belonged to some lady that lived almost three hours south of where the checks were written. And, none of the signatures matched on the checks.

All the checks were written on a checking account that did not exist and never existed. This means a much greater crime than simply writing a check on an account that is short on funds.

But you know - these checks were time stamped. These checks were written in convenient stores. Doesn't that mean that they had surveillance cameras? They had a picture of this person at all these stores.

How was I to get it? In order to file an identity theft report in Colorado I had to travel there. I would have to hire a lawyer and investigator in Colorado to obtain any surveillance films. I didn't have that kind of money.

For months I was a bit nervous wondering how many more checks were out there and if I was going to get more phone calls from lawyers. But I had the police report to back me up in case more calls came in.

Luckily no more phone calls came. But I still wonder if there are more checks out there and it's been two years. I still wonder what this person is doing with my information. I still wonder WHO the person is.

How did this person get my information? The only thing I can think of is that somehow they got an old checkbook of mine. But these bad checks were from a bank I have never used.

Who this person is and how they got all my information will most likely forever remain a mystery.

Now I'm always worried about things. Worried about information I throw away. I'm worried about putting a check in the mail to pay my water bill. I've even gotten to the point that anytime I go shopping I save my receipt so I can have proof of where I am.

Story number one did not involve theft of my social security number to get credit cards. Now for story number two.

Story number two involves someone using my social security number not to obtain credit cards, but to obtain employment.

Remember when I wrote above that the Credit Agencies had me living in Sanger, California? Here's why.

Almost one year to date after the first call from the lawyer in Colorado I received a letter from the IRS stating I had back taxes I owed them.

I called them and they sent me all records they had for me for the past seven years. I get these records and what do I find? I have worked all over California under a man's name who lived in Sanger.

I was wrong to state I was a victim of identity theft twice in one year. I should have stated I was made aware of being a victim twice in one year. This man of Sanger has been using my social security number since 1997. It took until 2004 before I ever knew about it!

The IRS said I had one month to prove I did not work in those places all around Sanger, California.

So now I'm off to the following:

Filing another police report Writing the credit agencies Filing a report with the Consumer Identity Theft Org.

But, now I have to call all these companies in California (on my dime). Of all the companies listed, ten plus companies, only one had a valid phone number. But they didn't speak English. No help there.

And there were no listings for this man of Sanger.

I spent a month worrying, in yet another panic mode because I didn't know how I was going to prove that I didn't work for these companies. The IRS stated I needed something in writing from all these companies stating they never employed me.

On the day I was required to call the IRS with proof I never worked for the companies I spoke to an agent that couldn't find anything of what I was talking about. All of the sudden, Mr. Sanger, California was no longer on my IRS report. What the????

After talking with a few different IRS agents, and a few hours on the phone with them, I discover they removed all of his information on their own as they determined it wasn't me. I spent 30 days trying to clear that up and worrying the entire time! They removed it three weeks before.

So see, Identity Theft is not always about credit cards. Yes, it's typically about your credit. But both times I fell victim it wasn't about someone filling out an application to get a credit card.

Many people with bad credit believe they will not fall victim to identity theft. They need to think again.

So how do you protect yourself? It's hard. How did Mr. Sanger, California get my social security number? Was it just a random guess on his part? What are the odds? Well, here's your proof it can happen.

CNBC reports that identity theft is a war we won't win any time soon.

CNBC reports that over 9 million people in 2003 fell victim to identity theft.

One out of every nine people reading this article right now will fall victim to identity theft.

What do you do when it happens to you?

1. File a police report immediately and then after the officer completes it, pay the fee to obtain your own copy. Immediately make several copies of that report and then file it away.

2. Regardless of the type of identity theft, report it to ALL three credit agencies. Equifax (800.525.6285), Experian (888.397.3742) and Trans Union (800.680.7289). This just in case something does appear on your report.

3. Get online and get a copy of your credit report from all three agencies. You can get it for free simply by subscribing 30-days free to a financial advising service. Here's one such site: http://www.consumerinfo.com/.

You can cancel the free trial prior to the 30 days end, but only do so after you have printed your report from all companies.

Remember, check your report at least once a year. Personally, I advise you to do it twice yearly.

4. Call the Consumer Identity Theft Organization. 877.438.4338. File a report with them. They will provide you with a reference number that you need to have on record. Do this step ONLY after you have filed the police report(s).

5. If your identity theft involves the use of your social security number, call the Social Security office in your city. Or you can call 800.772.1213. They need to be aware of this. You'll need the reference number the Consumer Identity Theft Organization provided to you.

6. Not a necessary step, but one you may want to consider. Change your social security number. Start new. If you have a long, established credit history, think twice before doing this. But if your credit isn't all the great, then I would recommend you do this.

7. Visit: http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/ complete the complaint form on that site. Will filling out this claim personally do you any good? Most likely it will not. The importance of doing this is to help agencies and law enforcement develop cases and establish patterns. You filing the claim is helping all of us against the war on Identity Theft.

Mr. Sanger, California and Ms. BadCheck Colorado will most likely not be caught - or if they are, I'll probably never know about it.

Identity Theft is considered white collar crime and it will never take precedence over violent crimes.

How can you avoid it happening to you? According to a report on CNBC they state if you can, only use credit cards to pay for things because credit cards are protected by federal law.

They state you should never use paper checks or debit cards.

ok, that's fine for those who have great credit and have credit cards. But for those that can only pay for their bills with checks - what does one do? I guess just keep your fingers crossed it will never happen to you.

But you can protect yourself by investing $20 for a shredder. Shred anything and everything with any type of personal information.

Take the time to actually look at your credit card statements each month. Look for odd charges on them. Many times we don't go over them in detail. Take the time, it's worth it.

In reality there's nothing we can do that will absolutely stop someone from stealing our identity. But we can take extra steps to deter it a bit.

A great resource site developed by a woman that fell victim (her own employer stole her identity) is: http://IDTheftCenter.org.

I would never wish what happened to me to happen to anyone else. Mentally, emotionally and physically it's a horrible thing to happen to anyone.

If it happens to you, I hope I've been helpful in providing some tools to assist you.

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Michelle Raybourn has been marketing online for 10 years,
the last four of which have been full-time. In addition
to offering valuable advertising services to help others
succeed online, Michelle has also been publishing for 6
years. Subscribe to "The Raybourn Effect" today:
http://www.theraybourneffect.com

Signups in your downline: http://signups-guaranteed.us/index.html
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Scam Forums You May Want To Join or just watch.

Clark Howard.com - many threads on "ripoffs" - both online business related and non-online business related.

Senior Telemarketing Scam - Specific thread on scams being done on Seniors from telemareters. Also many other topics.

Quatloos.com - scams and frauds exposed.

Scam.com - all-around scam discussion board.

NIBA4u.com - here you'll find an extensive list of scams online - and what people are blocking from google.

Four Tips to Avoid Internet Scams