Book Review: Scammunition by Colleen J. Pallamary
Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was requested or received.
Colleen Pallamary has been working as a volunteer to protect senior citizens and others from scams and swindles for over a decade in Florida. This book is designed to inform people about the most common tricks she has encountered and how to combat them. It’s arranged in short chapters covering such topics as phony contractors, fraudulent travel agencies (and employment scams promising to make you a travel agent) and malware.
To be honest, most of this is pretty basic material that would seem like common sense–but scammers still catch people with these tricks every day. It’s certainly worth reading through just to refresh your memory. About a third of the book is a listing of Better Business Bureau offices and government agency contact information for the United States and its territories, which will be especially helpful if you are dealing with a multi-state scam operation. Although this book was published in 2012, these sorts of addresses tend not to change so the vast majority of them should still be good.
However, the chapters on cybercrime have already become a little dated–check the latest government warnings for new angles con artists have found.
This book was self-published, and it’s very obvious with the heavy use of public domain clip art, pithy mottoes and reproduction of government forms. I did not spot any obvious typos, which is a huge plus at this end of the market. Those with e-readers may want to go with the cheaper electronic version as there’s no real loss of quality.
Recommended for seniors, soon-to-be seniors, and close relatives of seniors, but usable by any adult who wants to be careful with their money and credit.
