Everyone is looking for easy money and with the promise of cash for just filling out a survey, it seems like a great deal. While some survey companies do in fact represent legitimate companies, many of these survey deals are scams.

Survey scammers will charge fees or make the person hoping to make money pay for the surveys they want them to take. While they may make this sound like a necessary evil or a fee for printing costs, this is precisely how the scammer will make money. You should never have to pay up front for any job.

The way to easily spot a survey scam is by way of contact information. If there is no way to contact the person in charge or no information about the company, it is likely a scam. Another way to spot them is to check out any outrageous guarantees or promises that seem too good to be true.

Scammers will also fake testimonials from people claiming to make riches by taking these surveys. Some scammers will also ask for your personal information in order to pay you, which could be damaging in the end. Money is Everywhere has more tips on how to avoid survey scams.

To avoid this scam, make sure to check companies out before signing up or paying any fees. Check with the Better Business Bureau or even do a quick internet search in order to sniff out any complaints that might have been made about the company. Job search tech has more ideas on how to avoid paid surveys.

This semi new pyramid scam is on the rise and currently being sued for scamming numerous investors out of their money. Similar to several pyramid scams from Canada, such as Business in Motion, this scam claims to sell cheap travel deals.

The way this scam works is by recruiting sellers to invest money in hopes of selling more “travel” plans to make more money than they invested. However, the plan is a total sham in what it claims to sell as well as how much money the scammers say investors can make.

The travel deals being sold are not good deals at all and are really passport membership investment. In the end, the up front fees that hopeful money makers put into the scam will be lost and like many of these scams, will go bankrupt. In order to keep the scam going, the fees paid by later investors are transferred to those who signed up first.

Pyramid Scheme Alert has more about Own My Travel.

Lots of people are looking to delve into investments in order to gain great returns. However, some scams will leave you high and dry without a penny to your name if you aren’t careful. From elaborate scams to downright liars, investment scams can be very dangerous.

Like most scams, scammers will take on a different identity to reel in their customers. This first technique does just that by posing as an independent insurance agent and then selling an investment they know almost nothing about. They will often promise large returns that are not at all possible. Be sure to thoroughly research any product worth investing in.

Ponzi scams are another technique in this field that has been around for many years. In this particular instance, a scammer will take a large sum of money and again promise large returns. In order to pay past investors, the scammer will use money scammed from others. In the end, all of these plans fail and investors are out of their money.

Even investing in your favorite causes, church or ethnic group could get you into trouble these days. Many scammers find out your religious background or ethnic identity to get you to invest money with certain causes. Be careful when signing up for gifting programs or any situation where your money will be helping with overseas investing.

Internet fraud is also in this category. Through emails, scammers will offer great investment deals that seem too good to be true. In fact, they are too good to be true and should be deleted immediately. A specific scam to avoid is called the Nigerian 419 and will send emails regarding putting money into overseas bank accounts. A word to the wise-if you don’t know who the email is from, hit delete and don’t think about it again.

Read more investment scams over at MSN’s Money Central.

Many colleges are raising their tuition and fees more and more each year with large promises of huge, profitable careers that can only be achieved through four years of painstaking studying. However, especially with the economy the way it is, more and more college graduates are finding that the promise of a career is nothing more than a lie.

Some colleges even tote career centers and help with loans in order to reel in new students. Yet in the end, as long as the student pays their dues it’s up to the student to find a job, whether there is one out there or not. Many students find that their degree of choice won’t get them a job out of school, even if their counselor told them it would. In the end, graduates are finding themselves in jobs they could have received with just a high school diploma. So, basically students are taking out government funds which are great for the overpriced school and ending up in terrible amounts of debt-all for nothing.

So is college a huge scam not worth partaking in? Without an apprenticeship or great internship that will likely not pay a salary throughout schooling it will prove hard for many to find jobs in their field. While some majors are in more demand as far as jobs go, the bachelor degree is simply not needed and more of a money maker for schools for those without internships that turn into jobs in the end.

As this economy continues to downfall, the American dream of a job and a lucrative career is becoming slightly less promising. Buyer Beware!

Read more about Many colleges are raising their tuition and fees more and more each year with large promises of huge, profitable careers that can only be achieved through four years of painstaking studying. However, especially with the economy the way it is, more and more college graduates are finding that the promise of a career is nothing more than a lie. Some colleges even tote career centers and help with loans in order to reel in new students. Yet in the end, as long as the student pays their dues it’s up to the student to find a job, whether there is one out there or not. Many students find that their degree of choice won’t get them a job out of school, even if their counselor told them it would. In the end, graduates are finding themselves in jobs they could have received with just a high school diploma. So, basically students are taking out government funds which are great for the overpriced school and ending up in terrible amounts of debt-all for nothing. So is college a huge scam not worth partaking in? Without an apprenticeship or great internship that will likely not pay a salary throughout schooling it will prove hard for many to find jobs in their field. While some majors are in more demand as far as jobs go, the bachelor degree is simply not needed and more of a money maker for schools for those without internships that turn into jobs in the end. As this economy continues to downfall, the American dream of a job and a lucrative career is becoming slightly less promising. Buyer Beware! Read more about college as a scam here college as a scam in John Stossel’s article. here http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnStossel/2009/01/28/the_college_scam?page=2

As if there wasn’t enough to worry about on the internet, now there are phishing scams that will take hold of your cell phone. This means that cell phone users need to be careful not to give out personal information via text or be skeptical of any text that might seem a little out of the ordinary.

The latest text scam will send a text from a bank that the cell user might use asking for a pin number, password or other personal information. Then, the scammer is able to use any and all information given via text to make purchases or drain bank accounts.

Another way this scam gets to people is through a text from a bank that offers a website address that seems legitimate. It is often hard to know what websites are an actual entity of the bank, so to be sure it is always smart to do a quick search in order to pull up the actual bank site.

Moral of the story is not to share information with anyone but your bank. Call the number you would always call to contact your bank or simply visit them in person. It might cost you a trip to the bank, but it will be a small price to pay compared to being scammed!

CNET first broke the news on these text message scams, so head there to read more.

Many people strive for that perfect body in order to gain confidence or just fit into those jeans that they wore in college. However, in search of the perfect body sculpting routine, many find that some workout programs and many fitness machines are just out to make money, not to fix your body woes.

Fitness machines are all over TV and are easy to get sucked into. Many times, the machine looks fast and easy, which in many minds equals the perfect workout. With more and more people working many hours a week and barely having time to get to the gym, these machines prey on the busy and willing. One particular machine will cost quite a bit and won’t render results. The machine is a usually a belt that claims to burn belly fat and build ab muscles with just the push of a button. By sending electric currents to your muscles, the product is supposed to focus on the belly with no effort out of you. However, this might sound appealing but it won’t work. You actually have to work on muscles and follow a healthy diet in order to lose weight; you can’t just put a belt on.

Another weight loss scam is the Sex Workout. This master plan totes large weight loss due to having more and more sex. While you might burn some calories while doing the deed, it will not lead to any rapid weight loss in the end.

Many men are looking for those large, toned arms to reel in the ladies or just look good in a t-shirt. With this last scam, you might be able to puff them up a bit, but it will only be temporary. The scam is called the 24 hour Arm Workout which claims to build your arms up by 3/8 of an inch. Yet, the plan consists of many workouts each hour that will lead to inflammation, thus the temporary muscle increase. Also, the diet included will pump up the carb count, so water weight will make arms look a bit larger. Unfortunately, without a consistent workout these results won’t last.

Learn about more muscle and fitness scams by reading this article from Ask Men.

Aside from other cautions vacation goers should make when making travel plans, there are also hotel charges that are completely valid. However, even though they may be valid they are still overpriced and can be avoided.

First, parking is one thing that hotels offer for high prices but seems unavoidable. If you rent a car for your trip, you will obviously need a place to park it where it will be safe and close. In order to have this luxury, you will pay even more than you might to pay for a parking meter. Charges can be up to $50 a day. However, you won’t get towed and you won’t have to drive around looking for somewhere on the street to park.

As always, the minibar in the room is absolutely overpriced. The liquor will likely be less than classy and will be much more the price you could buy it for at a liquor store or even a bar. The candy and soda will also be many times more the actual value. Your best bet may be to find a vending machine for these items since they will be less than the mini bar, even if they are also overpriced!

Simply using the phone in your room will also cost you an arm and a leg. Just picking the phone up to receive a call that has come to the front desk for you will cost you something. Long distance will cost the most, but any call will be grounds for a fee at the end of your stay, and it won’t be cheap. Use that cell phone!

The breakfast that is “complimentary” with your room can often be refused with a reduction in room fee. Most of the breakfast items offered will be hard, tiny and might not even be something that you like. You might just save enough to go out and get a breakfast worth talking about!

Finally, don’t expect to do laundry on the cheap while at a hotel. You will need to have it sent to the laundry service in the hotel, which could cost more than the cost of your unmentionables cost in the first place. There is usually even a fee to have things dried! Just take some Woolite with you and clean what you need to in the bathroom. Hanging things up to dry won’t cost you a thing.

Read more about overpriced hotel items over at Fraud Guides.

Just when you thought a wonderland of candy and fun awaited in the Disney theme parks, a scam or two is sure to put a sour taste in the day. Aside from paying over and above what you would like to spend on food, tickets and even photos it pays to be wise when it comes to scoping out the latest deals.

First, where there are resorts, there will be scammers on the loose. As with many, the Disney resorts or hotels will offer free or discounted tickets to a certain theme park as long as they can keep you for hours on end at a timeshare meeting. Basically, they will make you sit through a sales pitch or a tour for a few hours while they pressure you to buy a timeshare. If refused, the sales people are often hard to get rid of and will sometimes keep you there as long as possible to get you to sign a contract. Some will also require that you make arrangements to stay at that particular in the future in order to receive your “free” tickets. In the end, you lose money, time and probably some pride along the way.

Another scam to bypass in the FASTPASS tickets that are sold on the internet or through scalpers. These tickets do not need to be purchased through a separate entity, as they are available at the park (often for free). The pass will get you through lines quicker and save you a lot of time in the end. However, beware of sellers that claim the passes don’t need to be for a valid date, because they do. The park staff will check the date on the ticket and will not honor any passes that have a passed date.

Last, as always be careful when buying park tickets from anyone but the actual Disney ticket sales department. Tickets are often copied, out of date or completely fabricated and will not be honored to enter the parks. Even if the person says that the ticket still has a few days left on it, you won’t know until it is too late. Unless they are giving it away, don’t take your chances!

More Disney Scams here http://www.magicalkingdoms.com/blog/2009/02/27/disney-theme-park-scams-to-avoid/

Scammers can use anything to cheat people out of hard earned money. This time, it’s photos of adorable puppies stolen from other websites. Many people have a particular breed of dog they are looking for when searching for a pet and will search on the Internet for the perfect picture or price before jumping in head first with huge payments. Just make sure that whoever is selling the puppy is an actual dog breeder and not a scammer from another country.

Lately, people have been scammed by overseas dog breeders that might claim to have exotic breeds that are hard to find. After posting fake photos or stolen photos, they will make the consumer think that they have found the perfect pet. After contacting the breeder via email, they will assure the person of all the things they need, as well as a shipment date and details. However, once the payment is made, shipping and all, there will never be a delivery. This is sometimes compounded with extra fees due to customs and such that they so called seller will require.

To avoid this scam, buy locally or from someone who is known and reputable. It is best to pick up the pet on your own and always meet the breeder and puppy in person before making a purchase. You may pay in gas or airfare, but you might actually get the puppy in the end!

ABC News has plenty more information about dog scams included in this story.

Many people see the vehicle they drive as an important purchase, and one that should not be taken lightly. It is also a status symbol in many minds, which makes purchasing a car a challenge and sometimes a greedy practice. Unfortunately, because car dealerships know all of this they can scam people into a car or a so-called deal that is anything less than satisfying.

The first scam to point out is one that will reel in many consumers in hopes of saving a buck or two. That is, the dealership or a website will send a gift certificate of a large sum of money good at your local car dealer. The scammers know this will at least get a consumer wondering, if not into the dealership right away. What they won’t tell you is that this money won’t go towards the new car you hope to purchase, but adds ons that are available through the website. After perusing the website and finding products that may or may not be to your liking, you will overpay by massive amounts and then have to pay shipping on top of that. The shipping is often not able to be covered by the gift certificate. You may have been sent a $1,000 gift certificate but you will likely only receive a couple of hundred dollars worth of merchandise.

Another scam that is invading car lots lately is the “Super Sales”. These sales will reel in the potential car buyer with extremely low payments that anyone could make. However, the catch is that the dealer will also jack up the price of the vehicle as a whole by thousands of dollars. Although the payments may be low, they will likely go on for years and years as it will take an abundant amount of time to pay off. Also look out for dealers that don’t post the price right out but will tell you the payment amount. This is to peak interest and then avoid telling the whole price until the person has decided to buy.

Scam Busters has more about car dealer tricks if you are interested in learning more.