Six Ways to Avoid Scams

In a tough economy, it's a sad but true fact that scams and financial fraud of all kinds seem to flourish like weeds. According to the Better Business Bureau, complaints to the agency rose 10% in 2010, with consumers filing 1.1 million complaints against North American businesses. Among the top scams reported: job hunter hoaxes, timeshare fraud and debt relief shams.

But despite the growth of scammers, you don't have to become a victim of some swindler's financial misdeeds.

Here are six dos and don'ts to follow that will help you avoid falling prey to scams: