People Get Screwed All the Time: Protecting Yourself From Scams, Fraud, Identity Theft, Fine Print, and More

By Robert Massi

Book Overview

What would you do if you were accused and arrested for a crime that you didn't commit? How about if you realized that you'd just been scammed for thousands of dollars? What about if, due to a circumstance as unavoidable as having the same name as a criminal, your credit rating kept you from buying a house or a car, or getting a loan for college? Most people trust that everything will work out and assume that the government will help them if trouble arises. However, Robert Massi reveals what the government doesn't want you to know--daily life and decisions are fraught with potential danger, and government mismanagement often has disastrous consequences for innocent, law-abiding citizens. Familiar to viewers as a national TV legal analyst, Robert Massi has heard countless stories of well-intentioned individuals getting caught up in damaging situations that they didn't see coming. Nonetheless, the most frustrating part of these heartaches is that they could--and should--have been avoided. Massi will share some of these astonishing stories of real people--and then, he'll show you how to learn from these mishaps. Touching on everything from dodging identity theft to starting a business, People Get Screwed All The Time explains how to avoid falling for scams, getting entrenched in endless legal battles, and inadvertently ending up on the wrong side of the law. Also, if worst comes to worst, it provides unbeatable tips for how to extract yourself from a wide variety of sticky situations. This indispensable guide covers the spheres of life that matter most: Identity Love, Family, and Relationships Money, Finances, and Debt Your Home Cars Work and Business Relationships Final Affairs Suggesting small steps that can be taken today, People Get Screwed All the Time helps you to avert catastrophe tomorrow. Calling for action and awareness, this is a vital and eye-opening handbook that proves that ignorance is anything but bliss.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061145874
• ISBN13: 9780061145872
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: William Morrow
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.2" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

A Reference "Must Have"

Robert Massi takes his detailed and understandable Fox Network legal analysis to print in this handbook for survival in the 21st Century. Mr. Massi is, first and foremost, a teacher and his explanations and guidance are invaluable to avoiding the modern day beartraps that effect so many. An engaging read that untangles those legal nightmares of modern scams. If you only have one book in your personal library, this should be it.

Great Book

This is a great book and full of information needed by the consumer. Bob Massi has experienced first hand the bureaucracy consumers have to deal with in everyday decision making. The book is a great guide to help prevent mistakes others have made in dealing with purchases of all kinds. Take the time and learn from this informative book.

A truly weird approach to explaining common legal problems

Robert Massi is a fixture on FoxNews, appearing often as a "legal analyst". I'm not a lawyer, but Massi's explanations have left me scratching my head more than once. Often it seems Massi is just filling time without much regard for what he's saying - and not much thought either. He's not dumb - he just seems way to willing to express an opinion on legal matters without thorough consideration of the facts. In "Peopld Get Screwed All The Time", Massi writes of "real people" who run afoul in one way or another of the law. They also seem to be quite a collection of losers who could qualify for leading roles if Woody Allen ever does a remake of "Broadway Danny Rose", a movie about an agent who represents really weird performers. Ostensibly, Massi is writing about "Potecting Yourself from Scams, Fraud, Identity Theft, Fine Print, and More". In truth, it seems Massi is simply trying to exploit his minimal fame as a television talking head. The people, allegedly real, are apparently dumber than bricks. For example, we have one individual who doesn't do anything when fraudulent charges start showing up on his credit card account. For another man, Massi says "[t]he easiest lesson to learn from Milton's story is not to cheat on your wife", after the guy's wife left him and the new girlfriend also left him broke with a massive pile of debt. Of course, Milton didn't bother looking at his credit card bills and "would not have been surprised by Rachel's excessive spending - over $50,000 worth - or that she had failed to pay the monthly bills". In other words, Milton like all of Massi's other subjects is a jerk who put himself in his own misery. Massi ends each chapter with a "How I would have counseled" the person. It's really bland stuff. Say, Milton, don't cheat on your wife and get her angry enough to leave you and don't be too quick to give the honey you just met full access to all your credit cards and not look at the bills. On the whole this is a silly book. Massi describes a bunch of not very bright people who get ensnared in the kinds of situations not very bright people find themselves in. It is highly unlikely that such people are going to buy this book before they get themselves into trouble - and nothing in this book will help them out of their troubles. On the whole, save your money and don't bother with this title. Jerry