10. Cancer Scams

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This one is particularly cruel since it often takes advantage of people’s desire to help others. It may not be as rampant as many of the other scams listed here. but when it happens, it hits particularly hard since the scammer is often cheating friends and neighbors. The scam usually involves the scam artist claiming they have a serious illness such as cancer. Sometimes they will claim it is one of their children who is sick. They will seek donations to help with their “medical expenses.” These scams are often very successful since they commonly take place on the local level where people tend to feel more sympathetic to the scammer since they are part of the same community.