Today I have a luckily financial situation — a better one. Yet six years ago I was scammed with USD230.00.

This amount might seem nothing for you but for me meant all.

Living in a developing country with a low-paying job and sunk in debts and lose your few pennies was like losing my arms and legs.

I saw a post on Linkedin. There was a US company that sold used iPhones at really low prices. This caught up my attention since at the time I was building an e-commerce site to sell used and refurbished electronic devices at a reduced price.

So I reached the guy. I asked all things about the company, delivery process, time, prices, and so on. All things looked right so I started the purchase process.

They requested me a first payment and the rest on delivery. I sent them $230.00 since everything looked right.

I did research and stalked the company but scammers are really smart guys so they have prepared on every single angle to looks like a real legal and settled business.

Certainly, I lost money when I needed it the most. Yet, thanks to that I can now make others aware of this. These are the harsh life lessons I learned from it.

1. The more you desperately chase money the easiest will be to lose it

I was in a really bad financial situation. I was hitting the rock bottom so ending up being scammed knocked me twice. I felt my world was falling apart.

I was paying off debts with other debts. I was looking for any penny everywhere to pay off all monthly fees of all of my loans and credit cards to keep my good records.

Just for a second think about this. Losing $1 at that moment wasn't acceptable. Now imagine losing $230. I was a victim of my desperation, wrong assumptions, and naivety.

I was desperately trying to earn money quickly. Even when I am a little skeptical I got into the trap of great “deals”.

2. Never take decisions under high and temporary emotions

Scammers prey on our necessity and desperation. They make us believe in a quick-easy-scheme outcome.

Under this scenario we are fully vulnerable, we are exposed to believe the near-impossible.

I did numbers. I estimated how much I would earn. I was happy to see how once and for all I would start to get out of debt faster.

The reality was that those emotions blinded me. Just a second after it I fell into the trap. I never saw the whole picture.

The lesson here is never to take decisions under high or temporary emotions. Take your time, this will dictate if something is chase worth it.

Whenever you go straight right away you a hit in your face is just at the corner.No doubt that decision will take a toll on you at some point like it did on me.

3. Quick-easy-fix schemas are bullshit

Because of our needs and desperation, we are desperately looking for quick and fast solutions to fix our problems. Stop. Stop. Stop and Stop.

They don't exist. There are no shortcuts. Read it again, please.

We are not able to internalize and be aware of the root cause of the hole we are in.

Quick fixes will make the hole even bigger along the way. Get an extra loan will not fix your financial situation. Refinance all your debts will not help at all if you don't understand and build a better relationship with money.

The root cause of our bad financial situation is the lack of financial education. We aren’t money-educated. That's it. There’s no shortcut to being financially free unless you use the illegal path.

You need to educate yourself financially first. Build a solid and long-term relationship with money.

4. Be paranoic when looks so good

People will tell you that you are paranoid. Indeed you are.

Whenever something looks really good to be true something is wrong. There’s something that doesn't match.

Yet, under desperation for getting money, you will forget this rule of thumb.

In that regard, next time either if you already got into the trap or if you haven't experienced this yet, do things differently.

Stalk the person, the company. Collect everything about them. Check reviews or comments on their social networks or website.

Ending Thoughts

I don't know if you have experienced a scam before but the timing when I fell into this trap was the worst.

I needed money. I needed to take care of every penny. Yet I was giving it away in the dumbest way.

I learned it the hard way. I learned life lessons from this scam.

I learned that the more you desperately chase money the easiest will be to lose it. There are no quick and easy solutions to big problems — like debts.

You need to find out the root cause of your problem, then create an action plan and execute it. No magic silver bullet.

I hope this helps you to take better future financial decisions.

Thanks for reading.