Scam Victims: Would Education Help?

I can’t help but wonder, when I read articles like this one in Saturday’s Oregonian (6/9) about the latest scam, that the scam might not have gotten off the ground if people knew a little more than they do about how laws are made. You’d think (!) that someone in business would check up on where such a soliciation (!) came from. You’d think (!) that someone in business, who has to follow all sorts of laws, would stop and say, huh (!) and then maybe pick up the phone to find out if the solicitation (!) was legitimate.

Those “surveys” about how only 1 in 25 can name 3 members of the President’s Cabinet or even their own U.S. Senator miss the point. A person might not be able to name his or her U.S. Representative or Governor, but if a person knows how laws are made and knows even a little about how regulations are made (I won’t even say promulgated), that person is less likely to be taken in by scammers. Maybe I’m dreaming, but I say, let’s add a little Civics to the books and web sites on How To Start Your Own Business.