Craigslist has exploded in popularity over the last few years. On Craigslist.com you can find a job, or look for a job, you can sell that old china cabinet your mother gave you that you always hated, buy a perfect crib for the baby you’re expecting or even give away the Franklin Stove that came with your house. However, the popularity of Craigslist has also made it home to many people seeking to take advantage, and so you have to watch carefully for frauds.
One scheme that is often seen involves listing a car for an amazingly low price. The listing may tell the story of how the vehicle is owned by someone in the armed forces and is being shipped home. And how desperately money is needed before its arrival. The unsuspecting buyer sends the cash, only to be left in the lurch. No car ever arrives.
Another scam recently shut down was a man attempting to rent out a house he did even own, luckily he was arrested. However, he was able to collect thousands of dollars before he was apprehended. But for the people who had already fallen victim to his scam, the money is gone forever. A little bit of background work and checking would have helped those prospective renters to avoid this scam and save their money.
Another common scam involves fake job postings. That’s why it is always wise to approach “work from home” ads with caution. Many times, after paying an upfront fee, the job seeker will find little if any real work. If you ever get a phone number, its easy to use a telephone look-up directory such as www.tele-snoopy.com/New-Jersey/Whippany/973/434.htm to make sure the person is not be impersonating someone else.
Make sure you do your research when buying anything off of Craigslist. And never, ever send money without either seeing the item or getting a genuine guarantee. If you’re thinking of answering personal ads, beware. There are many predators on Craigslist waiting to prey on the lonely.
There have also been many people who have sent money to pay for an item and the item is never sent. Of course, when this happens, there is no recourse and the money is simply gone. When dealing with Craigslist and making a purchase, it is much better to meet the seller directly to make an exchange of the money for the item. This allows you to take a look at the merchandise before actually paying for it.
A great benefit of Craigslist is that it is free, and many people have benefited from it. It is unfortunate that scam artists have also discovered this site and are only too happy to take advantage of it. This is why it is important to exercise caution with Craigslist, take the time to do some research and be aware that there are people on it who are only looking to swindle and steal.
Beware of anyone offering to send money via wire transfer or money order, especially from distant locations. Meeting the seller personally and buying locally is always the safest way to go. Always trust your gut and never give out personal information. And remember, an offer that sounds too good to be true usually is.
Visit www.tele-snoopy.com/Virginia/Fredericksbg/540/295.htm if you’d like to learn more about reverse phone lookup services online
Financial Shenanigans: How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks & Fraud in Financial Reports, Third EditionFrom the “ Sherlock Holmes of Accounting,” the tools you need to stay a step ahead of the crooks
“Howard Schilit is the authority on forensic accounting. Financial Shenanigans is invaluable reading for market participants seeking to identify deceptive behavior in company financial statements.” Julian Robertson, legendary investor and founder, Tiger Management
“A must-read! The authors teach forensic financial statement analysis in an easy-to-digest format with lots of war stories. Guaranteed to help investors in their quest to avoid ticking time bombs in their portfolios.”
Marc A. Siegel, board member, Financial Accounting Standards Board
“This is a timeless guide to better understand how financial malfeasance can be spotted early. Financial Shenanigans teaches all of us fraud-detection-made-easy.”
Jules Kroll, pioneering private investigator and founder of Kroll Associates and K2 Global
“Required reading for every investor who desires to avoid financial losses. This new edition is a classic and better than ever.”
Thornton L. O’glove, author, Quality of Earnings
“If the original Financial Shenanigans was the Bible of detecting accounting frauds, then this latest version is the Talmud of cooked books. Regulators, audit committee members, and business journalists should be required to read this work if they are involved in public companies.”
Boris Feldman, partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Palo Alto
“An incisive and entertaining review of the recipes used by corporations and executives to ‘cook the books.’ It’s a must-read for investors, lawyers, corporate directors, and anyone else interested in the integrity of the accounting and governance process.”
Joseph A. Grundfest, professor of law and business and codirector, Rock Center on Corporate Governance, Stanford Law School
About the Book:
With major financial scandals popping up in greater numbers—and with more inevitably on the way—it has never been more important for you to understand what dishonest companies do to trick investors. Since the early 1990s, Financial Shenanigans has been helping investors unearth deceptive financial reporting at the most critical time— before they suffer major losses.
Now, the third edition broadens its focus to include the newest, most sophisticated techniques companies use to mislead investors.
Referred to as the “Sherlock Holmes of Accounting” by BusinessWeek, Howard Schilit and renowned forensic accounting expert Jeremy Perler take you deeper into the corporate bag of tricks, exposing new levels of accounting gimmickry and arming you with the investigative tools you need to detect:
- Earnings Manipulation Shenanigans: Learn the latest tricks companies use to exaggerate revenue and earnings.
- Cash Flow Shenanigans: Discover new techniques devised by management that allow it to manipulate cash flow as easily as earnings.
- Key Metrics Shenanigans: See how companies use misleading “key”metrics to fool investors about their financial performance.
Financial Shenanigans brings you completely up to date on accounting chicanery in the global markets, shining a light on the most shocking frauds and financial reporting miscreants. This insightful, detailed guide written by recognized experts on the subject provides the knowledge and tools you need to spot even the most subtle signs of financial shenanigans.
This entry was posted on Saturday, February 27th, 2010 at 10:33 am and is filed under Web Sites. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.