I read this article in The Canberra Times this morning (now if you can't tell me where I'm from...). It listed the top 10 consumer crimes ("dot-cons") on the Internet, taken from research by consumer protection authorities in Australia, US, Germany, Norway, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, Canada and Finland:

1. Internet Auction Fraud
2. ISP Fraud
3. Fraudulent Internet web site design/promotions
4. Fraud related to Internet information and adult services
5. Pyramid sales fraud
6. Business opportunities and work at home fraud
7. Get-rich quick schemes
8. Travel/holiday fraud
9. Telephone, pay-per-call solicitation frauds
10. Health care fraud

I thought some of you might find it interesting. Especially if you're a target for spam...

It is interesting... though perhaps only in that it aptly cites the willingness of most people to suspend reason in the face of greed.

You mean I've spent $1,498 in money and countless hours in time promoting all of those incredible six-figure income, pyramid, don't-do-anything-because-we-do-all-the-work-for-you-yes-we-really-said-that programs online and they're SCAMS? I refuse to believe that. I'll even show you my $.50 cheque that one of them sent me for proof! Now THAT'S ROI!

I thought they worked, too. But I think you have to live to be a seven thousand years old to collect anything... ?

I don't WANNA be Bob Hope though.

Besides, the whole point of a get-rich-quick scheme is to get rich...quick. At least, that's what conventional thinking teaches us. I could be wrong however.

I wouldn't mind being Bob Hope. It certainly beats being Ernest Hemingway, which is who I currently am; as he's both currently dead and formerly rather a lousy writer, in my opinion.

I'm Gilbert Gottfried. I have the voice of an angry chicken and no sense of humour.

Holy Cow, Spider, that's incredible!

I was Gilbert Gottfried last year...

The relatively anonymous nature of the Internet does make it easy to propagate such schemes. As always, caveat emptor applies.

1. Internet Auction Fraud - a friend of mine was suckered a couple of years ago by such a site. they misrepresented merchandise, did not give refundsm and thankfully, are now defunct and were being investigated by the state attorne's office.
2. ISP Fraud - lots of that, as we well know
3. Fraudulent Internet web site design/promotions -
4. Fraud related to Internet information and adult services
5. Pyramid sales fraud - illegal despite claims to the contrary by the people who send pyramid letters and other schemes
6. Business opportunities and work at home fraud - isn't it nostalgic that spammers have even resurrected the old "make money stuffing envelopes at home" scheme, even though it is a scam. The spammers want you to stuff money in their envelopes and mail it to them.
7. Get-rich quick schemes - buy a lotto ticket. It's safer, cheaper and more effective.
8. Travel/holiday fraud - they travel and take holidays with your money
9. Telephone, pay-per-call solicitation frauds
10. Health care fraud

SOS NDM - Same Old Schemes, New Distribution Method