Black Market

  

Categories: Ethics/Morals, Econ, Trading

If you’ve ever pirated music, bought illegal drugs or firearms, or accepted money for a side job without reporting it as taxable income, congratulations--you’ve contributed to the unmeasurable part of GDP known as the “black market.” This allows people to skirt around rules, regulations, and of course, taxes.

Because the black market is--by definition--unregulated by the government (they do try, though), it often ends up being regulated by violence instead. See: The Sopranos.

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Finance: What are Phishing Scams?8 Views

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Finance a la shmoop what are phishing scams? all right you know when you're out [Woman on fishing boat with Dad]

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on the lake with dad just the two of you trying to haul in some trout when one of

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the fish pulls a fast one on you and hangs one of these things on your line [Fishing line with boot attached]

00:18

yeah total scam we're telling you you cannot trust anything that breathes

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through the side of its face anymore these days really okay so that's a not

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quite a phishing scam although the general idea is similar it's someone

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trying to make you believe something that isn't exactly true with a phishing

00:38

scam the venue switches from the great outdoors to cyberspace never gotten an [A wooden hut appears]

00:44

email from a Nigerian prince who's temporarily down on his luck and if

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you'll just wire him three hundred bucks in cash immediately well immeasurable

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riches await you it sounds like a little good to be true there right yeah and it [Man gives thumbs up in room]

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is well usually that Nigerian prince is an overweight balding guy named Jerry

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living in his mom's basement in a suburb just outside of Cleveland he'd love

01:09

nothing more than to hook a sucker you and take that 300 bucks [Jerry on his computer]

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off your hands but many times the scam is much more intricate than that often

01:18

its identity thieves who are trying to con you into releasing private

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information such as your social security number or credit card information mm-hmm

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that's out there well they might try to convince you that

01:30

their Amazon support or your bank or your long-lost uncle Yusuf who just [Person flicking through e-mails]

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needs a few personal details before he can FedEx you your large inheritance

01:41

don't fall for any of it anytime you're randomly asked to divulge any sensitive

01:46

information or pop a wad of cash in an envelope stop for a second and ask

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yourself whatever you might be well a fish and then ask yourself whether you'd [Cash burning]

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like all your hard-earned money to be sauteed or flame-broiled good stuff...

Up Next

Finance: What is Money Laundering?
2 Views

Money laundering is the act of trying to hide money that was acquired illegally. See: Breaking Bad.

Find other enlightening terms in Shmoop Finance Genius Bar(f)