Money $marts: Seven rules to avoid being a scam victim

"Hustle" is a cable TV show that portrays a group of con artists scamming well-deserved victims (usually other crooks). They justify their hoaxes by proclaiming, "You can't con an honest man." Victims suffer because of their own greed and mendacity.

In the real world, however, honest people get scammed every day. But since gullibility and carelessness (and perhaps a little greed) are the culprits in most cases, getting taken can be avoided. Following these seven rules will save you money and a lot of pain.

Hang up the phone. I get about a dozen marketing calls a week where someone is selling something. Often these calls are recorded messages.

But even if not, the simplest thing to do is hang up the phone. "May I speak to the man of the house"? No! Slam! Shred documents. Any document with personal information or account numbers should be shredded before discarding. Also credit card offers, which can be filled out with your personal data and a different mailing address, should be shredded. If you are unsure, shred it. A simple shredder costs $20.

Check your credit reports. Quarterly reviews of credit reports will catch false usage of your social security number. This is not free, but worth the cost. At the very least, get your annual free reports from all three agencies. Check the credit reports of your children, too, regardless of age. Child identity theft is growing with some 400,000 cases in 2005.

Never provide personal information over the phone unless you initiate the call. Otherwise, no matter what the caller says, do not give personal information. Government agencies and financial institution representatives never call for personal information.

Never open attachments to emails from strangers. Delete any email when the sender is unknown. No exceptions! Never click on unknown links either. Never include personal information in emails.

Never make upfront "fee" payments. Known and reputable firms may require upfront "retainers." Otherwise, it should be performance first, then payment.

Get-rich-quick schemes work only for the schemer. "Too good to be true" means just that. Most of us never win anything.