Don’t Be a Target as a Federal Employee
The Federal Employee a very special group. They are often identified as people who have money especially when then reach retirement age. With those thoughts in mind, federal workers become the target of many scams and unsavory plots designed to swindle them out of their money. Individuals looking to take advantage of federal workers, including postal workers, see two things – an aging population and a good government pension.
There are a few things you can do to protect yourself from scams and individuals who don’t have your best interest at heart, but rather are trying to find a way to empty your wallet. When something sounds too good to be true, it generally is.  These individuals look, talk and act like legitimate business men and women. They’ll tell you that they can turn your annuity into a golden nest egg if you purchase one of their courses but often won’t be from a company you have ever heard of. You might be invited to attend a seminar that promises to show you how to control and make money from the stock market when everybody else is losing money in the stock market.  But if these presentors had all of the answers would they be teaching this course, or would they be sitting on a yacht in the Carribean?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to increase your resources, grow your money; just make sure you are doing it through venues you can trust (a few pointers about financial professionals and federal employees).  You are definitely a target because it is well known that you have a pension income and perhaps some substantial savings as well. Just visit one of the seminars I am describing and the only people you will find in the audience are generally people who are considered senior citizens, the newly minted retiree.
If the seminars are there to make people rich and show them how to increase their money, then why not target all age groups. If you are looking for people with money, then many younger workers have good salaries and might have a few dollars stashed away as well. These fast talking, polished marketeers are looking for vulnerability and access to your cash.
Of course, they’ll give you a nice meal at some hotel they’ve negotiated a pretty good bargain for in order to further legitimize themselves. Here is a basic question you should ask yourself when you receive one of those shiny invitations in the mail about how a seminar is going to change your life and your entire future.
It is said that Warren Buffett is one of the richest men in the world who knows a heck of a lot about investing and ebbs and flows of the stock market. Here is the question.  Have you ever received an invitation in the mail from Warren Buffett promising to help you learn the secrets and the mysteries of the stock market so that you can get rich?  You never have and you never will. What makes the people who want to show you how to get rich different from Warren Buffett? They are trying to get rich from selling you a bill of goods. He is already rich and it didn’t come from hosting seminars teaching people how to get rich. It is sad to say, but true – the average human being is just not that altruistic.
Oprah tells us how to live our best life. Iyanla tells us how to fix our lives. Dr. Phil tells us to confront our problems. T. D. Jakes tells us to get ready, get ready and Joel Olsteen tells us to receive it. None of these wonderful people, most  who have substantial holdings and great financial wealth have ever and will never invite you anywhere and tell you how they are going to make you rich.
There is a reason why Florida leads the nation in Medicare fraud. Senior citizens and the elderly are targets for all kinds of sophisticated and unsophisticated scams. Talk to your family members, someone you can trust when you think about opening your purse or your wallet to pay someone to show you how to become rich. You worked hard to earn the right to retire and live comfortably and secure in your retirement. Beware and don’t let someone take your security away from you.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
