Stop, eThief!

Of course there's crime on the Net-there's crime wherever there's money. Today, the Internet is awash with both cash and comparatively inexperienced users, making this ideal turf for scamsters. Granted, it's easy to get hysterical about Net crime; but, generally speaking, the Net has changed nothing except the instrument of criminality. Con men once used the mail, then they graduated to telephone boiler rooms, and now some tech-savvy crooks have slipped into cyberspace.

Although the Net may serve as a fertile operating pasture for crooks, it's also an ideal medium for raising the alarm and alerting other users to problems. Key advice: Before doing any kind of sizable deal with a stranger "met" over the Net, always check out some of the many sites established to monitor the Internet for crooks.