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If you’re willing to risk it all on a high-stakes scam, you could go Oceans Eleven on a casino—but you’ll probably get caught (and may even get your knees broken by a Joe Pesci lookalike). It’s probably safer to stick to reading Casino.org’s list of some of the most “popular” gambling scams. The article includes a scam employed by a pair of criminals who called themselves the Roselli Brothers. The brothers managed to hack into casino computers and steal the identity of regulars with stellar credit, before withdrawing huge amounts of money from the victims’ lines of credit. Other common casino scams to watch out for include card counting, using counterfeit coins and even employing radio transmitters to manipulate roulette balls. Don’t take any chances on games of chance!

The holidays are over, the New Year is here, and many of us are finding our wallets lighter and our pants tighter. The last thing we need is to “fix a problem we don’t have,” as ABC points out in its coverage of a new Better Business Bureau (BBB) report on tech support scams. Scammers apparently are more geared up than ever to take our money in exchange for "fixing" our already-functioning computers. If you think you’re insusceptible to the ruse, ABC disagrees, noting that the question is not whether, but when you will become a target of these widespread scams. So educate yourself for the inevitable: Read the BBB’s report on how scammers reach their victims (through pop-ups, calls, emails and internet search results) and check out the tips for impeding their access to our computers (not to mention our bank accounts).

· Seattle-based writer Kelly Clay has reason to suspect Uber Eats drivers might be grazing on your greens. After placing a recent Uber Eats order, Clay waited for her Cobb salad to arrive, only to watch on the app as the driver passed her home without delivering it. When she approached Uber about the problem, she was told she would not receive a refund for the purchased food. This led her to wonder, can a delivery driver’s low pay, long drives and hunger make it more appealing to dash off and dine on your food than deliver it? Maybe. It seemed like the perfect crime, and Clay even found an online Uber driver forum where sticky-fingered deliverers discussed ways to abscond with the customer’s grub. In response, Clay has provided a couple of tips to help ensure your food ends up in the right place (your belly): Check Yelp reviews for reports of Uber Eats delivery problems, and order from local spots that will still be open at the scheduled delivery time (in case you need to resubmit your order). Bon appétit!

We’re of the mindset that clean water is safe water. Unfortunately, that can’t be said of those trying to make a buck by selling the “health conscious” on what they’re calling “raw water”: untreated H20 (often sourced from who knows where). While straight-from-the-spring water can be safe, experts point out that “the cleanliness of the water depends on things you can't see—whether herds of elk or moose or caribou have relieved themselves in a stream that you're drinking from and left it full of parasites” (that can cause a very unpleasant gut disease called giardia). Or “whether there has been groundwater contamination from naturally occurring elements such as arsenic, radon or uranium, or from pesticides and other chemicals.” So think twice before paying for a “health” product that might just make you sick.

If you’re like this author, “presents” this holiday season consisted mainly of gift cards from loved ones baffled by what to get you. While gift cards are the “safe” option gift-wise, they also have a dangerous side, particularly if you’re trying to resell them to someone who appreciates dining at that chain restaurant more than you do. (Seriously, mom, Chili’s?!) But before you sell the card, beware! The National Consumers League (NCL) reports that they see “a spike in scams involving the resale of gift cards” each January. How do these scams work? Sellers often find “buyers” (i.e., scammers) on popular sites like Craigslist or eBay. Once the buyer pays, the seller emails them the code on the back of the card. The crafty con artists work fast, however, and will cancel the electronic payments they’ve initiated and drain the card’s funds before you can say “store credit.” To avoid falling victim to this scheme, NCL’s Fraud.org recommends you only sell your gift cards via a legit website dedicated to such sales (e.g., Cardpool or GiftcardZen). You could also think about donating said cards or simply trading cards for one store (like Walmart) for credit at another store (like Target). And remember, if you’re the one buying someone else a gift card, don’t purchase the in-store varieties directly off the rack (scammers could have already written down the card codes). Click here for more information on how to avoid gift card grift.

This is my favourite one. I borrow money from you to spend on whatever I like. When the time comes to repay my debt, I borrow more money. From you. To repay my earlier debt to you. And you accept it, because you know I will definitely repay my debt to you. I have your full trust that I always keep my promise. My debt to you keeps growing bigger and bigger as the years pass, but you still keep lending me money to spend however I like, because you know I always repay my debts. I always have. Now replace ‘I’ with the U.S. central bank, and ‘you’ with all the countries in the world. https://www.quora.com/What-is-best-financial-scam-still-in-existence