I can imagine most of us have had this thought at one time or another. Especially now during these tough economic times when many jobs have been cut or downsized and retirement accounts are significantly reduced. A desperate desire to find more lucrative work can blind us to false promises and misrepresentations. We are tempted to disregard our natural skepticism and accept false promises of money-making opportunities.

The "secret shopper job" is a common form of swindling that gains ground during tough economic times. There are many variations of this scam, but for simplicity's sake will discuss only one. Ads are posted in various places touting the ease of the work, the limited hours, and the money that can be made simply by visiting stores each day. No training or educational background is required. Just respond to the ad.

Any of us can find ourselves in a vulnerable position at some point, when we are desperate and we turn off our protective scrutiny and blindly follow the false promises of a fraudster. Even "smart" people can be victimized, so I offer these prevention tips to help you avoid scams that are "too good to be true."

• Anyone can place an ad online or in a newspaper. If an ad appears in a reputable forum, such as a newspaper or on the Internet, do not be assume that it is a legitimate offer or that the one placing the ad has been verified by the newspaper or website. It may be a source of revenue for a scammer. Moreover these forums can and have refused to cooperate in investigations to identify fraud artists who place scam ads.

• Be aware that scam artists do use official sounding corporate names and even use names of reputable federal agencies. In one fraud scheme scammers claimed to be federal agents from the FBI, asking to help identify those who defrauded citizens. This misrepresentation was made by phone and the caller I.D. even gave a telephone number in Washington, D.C., but the call was made