The Ultimate Guide to avoiding scam, both offline and online

Today's post is a very special one.
I'll teach you the foolproof way to avoid scams.

image: lassenpc.com

What is a scam?
A scam is a fraud, a scheme that takes the little you have and gives you only empty promises.
And it's not only strange looking people that attempt to scam us. Our friends and families sometimes scam us. They use empty promises and sweet words to take from us, without the intention of paying back.

How do you identify a scam?
This is the trickiest part. Trickier than avoiding the scam. Now you might say, isn't identifying scam same as avoiding scam? Who would know something is a scam and still commit to it? I'm afraid you're wrong. On several occasions, I have known a thing is a scam and I still committed to it. And they were all scams from close family members. They ask you for a thing you know they won't give back, they swear by heaven and earth that they'll give it back, but you know they won't. Yet you'll give them. The trouble you get for not giving will be way more than the one you get for not getting it back.

Back to - How do you identify a scam?
There is a sandwich approach to identifying scams. A sandwich is made up of two pieces of bread with a delicious filling in between them.
All opportunities and transactions are like a sandwich. There is always the unattractive and boring pieces of bread and a thin slice of attractive filling. What gives away a scammer is that he hardly talks about the pieces of bread, he keeps yammering about the filling as if that's all to it. That's the big red alert signal. If a person keeps focusing on what I'll gain by giving, I try to end the discussion. If I could gain so much and he is that cocksure, he should do the giving. There are several micro-finance banks that will be willing to listen to him.

The less subtle one is if the scammer is playing the big guy, like he could do without my resources and that he is the one doing me a favour. This is the real tricky one. And you can't always successfully detect it, but I'll show you the trick that will make you almost never encounter it.
The trick is for you to have your own life goals, plans you're working towards. Stick to your area of competence when it comes to money matters. Use your comparative advantage always, or get a trusted friend who has to act on your behalf. It will reduce the risk of you becoming interested in stuffs you are not too knowledgeable about. These subtle scams feed on your ignorance. It's just like going shopping at Idumota, no matter how great your analysis and negotiation skills, if you don't have any prior knowledge of the price, you'll definitely be scammed. 


How to avoid scam?
Now it's time for you to share. This is the section where options/means are endless.
My favorite method is to tell the scammer than I'll think about it. And I then cut off communication with him.