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I received a mailing recently from a luxurious resort asking me whether I would like a free DVD that explains how I can feel like owning a vacation home with a fraction of the cost. Like most sales type mail, I usually throw it out right away but this one tempts me because as a bonus gift of saying I want the DVD, I would also get the 2007/2008 Zagat Survey’s Guide to America’s Top Golf Courses.

As an avid golfer, this guide should be a pretty good read. All I am really giving up by replying yes is my mailing address (which they already have) and my email address. On the other hand however, I might be opening the door to a sales person’s constant emails and attempts to win my business.
So what would you have done if a junk offer tempts you to sign up by offering something that’s really cool? Would you go for it?

These offers are everywhere and we certainly see them all the time. The most common ones are those that ask you to go listen to their sales pitch for an hour by giving you a couple free nights of hotel stays. Has anyone been to any of those offers? How has your experience been like and did you feel that you were scammed? Were there any bad consequences afterwards?

Sometimes, it’s quite hard to figure out which ones are scams and which ones are not but here are a few ways to that could potentially help.

Check the Credentials of the Company
You would be surprised at how bad a job those scam companies usually present themselves. The mailings should state which company it’s from and if you check carefully by looking online at their website, your intuition will guide you to eliminate many of those scams.

Google It
The most valuable thing Google provided was a way to search almost all web pages across the globe. All you need to do is search for the content of the mail and chances are someone’s talked/discussed/blogged about it. Read up on what others have to say about it and you can be sure to get some clues as to whether the deal is good or not.

Trust Yourself
If you are unsure whether it’s a scam or not, then it probably is. If it’s too good to be true, then pass the offer up. We are actually pretty good at determining this subconsciously so just trust your instincts!

After doing all this, I think I will go get myself a free copy of the Zagat Survey. I will let you know if I get scammed!