Teach a Man to Phish
Apparently phishing is very lucrative. Now, instead of just sending spam emails to your inbox, they have started paying for postage! Not only that, they have enough money to hire phones and people to answer them making their scam look even more legit.
This means if you get a piece of mail asking you to go to a website and enter information that can be used to steal your identity, or to call the company to give them information, you need to do your due diligence. Also, be alert. If you get an unexpected check (usually in the $3,000 to $4,000 range), no matter how legit it looks, make sure it is good. The typical scam has you deposit money in your account, then western union money to them. It may all look good, but in roughly 6 weeks the check will bounce and the bank will come to you to get the money back. The money you sent through western union will be gone, and you’ll be out $2,000 to $3,000.
So if you win $500,000 in a contest you never entered, or you want to earn money just for signing up for something, be careful. Make sure it is legit. They know how to phish.