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Overview
Is that fancy bottled water you're drinking really any different from ordinary tap water? Can antiwrinkle lotions make you look ten years younger? And does one honest used-car dealer exist anywhere in the United States? Scam! answers all of these questions and a hundred more, pulling the plug on contemporary America's biggest swindlers. In Scam! readers will meet real-life people who fell victim to con artists. This guide to fraud in the 1990s is a valuable resource for every consumer. You may recognize some rip-offs and be surprised by others. But with the information compiled in this book (complete with an appendix of vital consumer hot-line numbers), you'll be prepared to avoid the traps and outsmart the outlaws.Editorials
Library Journal
Engel (Univ. of Southern California) examines 13 scam categories, ranging from real estate rip-offs to Internet hoaxes. Each chapter contains an overview of various tactics and practices commonly used in a scam, followed by advice and strategies on how to avoid becoming a victim. The author also offers a list of consumer protection organizations providing information and referrals. Although his work provides interesting narratives of some well-known and not-so-well-known hoaxes, it does not provide background research or statistics from crime labs, law enforcement agencies, or the federal government. The book is appropriate for the reader interested in obtaining a general understanding of potential shady business deals but is not intended as a resource for scam victims seeking information and advice on pursuing action against a con artist. For public libraries.-Paula M. Bindie, Information Svcs., The Body Shop, Wake Forest, N.C.Book Details
Published
May 1, 1996
Publisher
New York : St. Martin's Griffin, 1996.
Pages
160
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780312144098