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It is a doggone crying shame that there are so many people willing to take advantage of baby boomers who may not have saved enough for their retirement. Offers for extra employment and way to earn a lot of money in a short period of time that is plastered all over the internet and some folks are gullible enough to be taken advantage of. Spending a lot of money on promises that quite possibly cannot come true.

The internet has made instant communication possible with friends and family on any side of the globe, and has made looking up old friends much easier and contacting old military buddies is a boon for many of the old soldiers. However, it is also an open invitation for those ne'er-do-wells who hope to perpetrate fraud against an unsuspecting and sometimes gullible segment of our society.

While many of these offers for part-time employment come with red warning flags, many fail to see them or heed them, being focused on finding a way to make enough money to live better when they do retire. Some may actually envision themselves in the pictures of fancy cars parked on the street in front of mansions. Did you ever ask why you never see pictures of Mr. Millionaire inside the mansion, or inside the garage or swimming in the pool?

Chances are if they had a picture taken there, they would be arrested for trespassing. For a few bucks, they can rent a fancy car, drive to a fancy neighborhood, and have their picture taken in front of someone's house while they are not home. The testimonials included in these ads never have contact information and no one seems to ask why.

Baby boomers have to remember a lot of life's lessons handed down by their parents such as if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is, or there's a sucker born every minute. Snake oil salesmen, of the early 1900s have not gone out of fashion; they just have a new and improved global means of hawking their wares. They can reach more people in a shorter time period for a lot less money than following the circus around the country selling their liquid health tonics.

It is cold, hard reality that many of the offers being made are fraudulent, designed to get the baby boomer's money with the promise that they can make a ton more by selling not only the product, but the business concept to their friends. When the time comes to ask questions or maybe, finally get paid for their efforts, the company disappears as fast as they cashed in your credit card voucher.

Baby boomers are for the most part a skeptical bunch and many are reluctant to hand over their cash for a promise. They want to see some tangible evidence of potential prosperity before they are willing to venture into no man's land, led by a stranger hiding behind an email address. However, some can be taken in by these modern traveling salesmen, but before investing in something with someone they do not know, they need to think back to the advice their parents often gave them: If you can't sell it to your parents or your friends, who do think is going to buy it?