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Sure, you know enough to steer clear of Nigerian princes (hopefully), but what about when the hotel desk calls your room because of a problem processing your credit card? Would you know better than to give the “receptionist” your number?
That’s just one of the 350-plus scams exposed and explained in Scam Detector for iOS, an informative fraud database that can help you avoid getting ripped off.
The app doesn’t “detect” scams so much as educate you about them. The data is divided into five categories: Auto, Face to Face, Internet, Telephone, and Travel. Within Internet you’ll find five sub-categories: Social Networking, Financials, Employment Online, Houses & Properties, and Online Auctions & Tech.
In other words, it covers all the bases–and reveals a lot of scams I guarantee you’ve never heard of. For example, you know the guy standing in line behind you at the register, the one who looks like he’s texting on his phone? He might actually be snapping photos, trying to get a readable shot of your credit card as it passes back and forth between you and the cashier.
And if you ever travel to China, beware of friendly, English-speaking people on the street who recommend a nearby “tea ceremony.” You could get stuck with a huge bill for something as simple as a cup of tea.
There’s a lot of enlightening, eye-opening stuff in here, even for those who consider themselves pretty scam-savvy. The app costs $1.99–a pretty small price considering how much it can save you–but there’s also a free Lite version that includes several dozen scams.
Remember, the best way to prevent fraud is to know it when you see it. This app can definitely help.
