“Nobody likes to lose money. What are the biggest financial rip-offs we should watch out for?”

You only want to hear “Come in spinner!” when you’re having a once-a-year flirt with an ANZAC Day two-up school.

But every day, people are stalking you, trying to catch you napping financially, or preying on the vulnerable. It’s nothing personal. They’re not after you, just your coin.

Are we talking about the ways people lose most money, or the ways most people lose money?

Losing the most money are the perennial winners of ASIC’s Pie-In-The-Sky awards, including Nigerian letter scams, early-release super scams and ponzi schemes.

These are the kings of fraud. They want large wads of your money. Now.

To avoid this, you need to understand: “If it looks too good to be true, it usually is”. “Big returns” for “no risk” is rubbish, as is someone helping you “inherit” millions of dollars.

But for more people have holes in their financial pockets. Here’s a few.

Bank fees: Some people donate $30-$50 a month to their bank. Most banks have capped fee accounts, so don’t pay more than $5 a month.

Utilities bills: Do you care what brand provides your gas, electricity, phone and internet, so long as it works? There is plenty of scope to cut unnecessary costs here.

Credit card fraud: Do you regularly check your statement to make sure everything on there is yours?

And let’s not start on gym memberships … how many people have done my trick of signing up for a year, but only go four times?

Bruce Brammall is the author of Debt Man Walking (www.debtman.com.au) and a licensed financial adviser.