The Art of the Scam
Let's say I have a product on how to make money selling widgets online.
You sell widgets online, but you're not making lots of money doing so.
So, you buy my book.
You read my book.
Upon finishing the book, you realize you already knew everything in the book and are disappointed.
You ask for a refund, and I issue it.
For some people, that's the end of the story. They bought a product, were disappointed, asked for a refund, got a refund and called it a day.
For other people, I am now a scammer.
Some people do not know what constitutes a "scam."
If I promised you the moon, delivered a bag of sand labeled "moon dust" and vanished with your money, then you could call me a scammer.
But, if you were disappointed in a product--especially because it contained info you already knew (as opposed to bad info)--and I refund your money, I am not a scammer, am I? You just weren't the right target audience for that product.
Similarly, if the product says you need to do things you don't want to do (and are legal and ethical to do), I'm not a scammer. It's not my fault that you don't want to do certain things. I can't be blamed if you don't want to pick up the phone and call someone.
For most people, it's not a problem. Most people only feel them been scammed if they have been scammed.
But, for some people, being disappointed in a product is equivalent to being scammed.
Thus, that's why it can be a bad idea to have something like a "Hall of Shame", which is a frequent suggestion when someone feels they've been scammed by a certain WSO or seller here.
The intention is good--protecting other buyers from a bad seller isn't a bad idea at all. But, it can rapidly devolve into a cold war between unscrupulous sellers.
Because the other part of the equation is that scammers don't mind labeling ethical marketers as scammers.
They will call out some well-known scammers. They let the world know how bad they are. Then, they call their competitors scammers, even if they aren't. The former gives them credibility; the latter demolishes their competition. And then they can scam their own followers because they think they're the good guy and anyone that disagrees must be part of the scammer conspiracy.
Some, while there may be some sites out there that "name names" to help protect people from falling victim to the scam artists, there are scam artists out there also "naming names" to boost themselves. Telling the two apart can sometimes be a challenge.
The bottom line is that it's all on your shoulders to be careful out there. You've got to do your due diligence. You've got to check multiple sources and look for feedback from multiple trusted individuals. (That way, if one is a liar, hopefully not all of your sources are!)
Scammers usually don't paint themselves in the color black. They like to paint themselves in myriad layers of grey with plenty of white in there as well.
Sometimes, the one coming to rescue you from the predicament you are in is the one who arranged for you to fall into that bad situation in the first place.
You sell widgets online, but you're not making lots of money doing so.
So, you buy my book.
You read my book.
Upon finishing the book, you realize you already knew everything in the book and are disappointed.
You ask for a refund, and I issue it.
For some people, that's the end of the story. They bought a product, were disappointed, asked for a refund, got a refund and called it a day.
For other people, I am now a scammer.
Some people do not know what constitutes a "scam."
If I promised you the moon, delivered a bag of sand labeled "moon dust" and vanished with your money, then you could call me a scammer.
But, if you were disappointed in a product--especially because it contained info you already knew (as opposed to bad info)--and I refund your money, I am not a scammer, am I? You just weren't the right target audience for that product.
Similarly, if the product says you need to do things you don't want to do (and are legal and ethical to do), I'm not a scammer. It's not my fault that you don't want to do certain things. I can't be blamed if you don't want to pick up the phone and call someone.
For most people, it's not a problem. Most people only feel them been scammed if they have been scammed.
But, for some people, being disappointed in a product is equivalent to being scammed.
Thus, that's why it can be a bad idea to have something like a "Hall of Shame", which is a frequent suggestion when someone feels they've been scammed by a certain WSO or seller here.
The intention is good--protecting other buyers from a bad seller isn't a bad idea at all. But, it can rapidly devolve into a cold war between unscrupulous sellers.
Because the other part of the equation is that scammers don't mind labeling ethical marketers as scammers.
They will call out some well-known scammers. They let the world know how bad they are. Then, they call their competitors scammers, even if they aren't. The former gives them credibility; the latter demolishes their competition. And then they can scam their own followers because they think they're the good guy and anyone that disagrees must be part of the scammer conspiracy.
Some, while there may be some sites out there that "name names" to help protect people from falling victim to the scam artists, there are scam artists out there also "naming names" to boost themselves. Telling the two apart can sometimes be a challenge.
The bottom line is that it's all on your shoulders to be careful out there. You've got to do your due diligence. You've got to check multiple sources and look for feedback from multiple trusted individuals. (That way, if one is a liar, hopefully not all of your sources are!)
Scammers usually don't paint themselves in the color black. They like to paint themselves in myriad layers of grey with plenty of white in there as well.
Sometimes, the one coming to rescue you from the predicament you are in is the one who arranged for you to fall into that bad situation in the first place.