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.
Web Police: This
association of concerned citizens (in 60-plus countries) is a good
starting point. The Web site is filled with links to agencies
offering help and also features a bulletin board where users can
post crime reports. The Web Police will go after anything, from
plain-vanilla financial scams to heavier stuff, such as child abuse
and cyberstalking. The service also offers a chat room for worried
users who feel the need for a digital pep talk.
Internet
Scam-Busters: ScamBusters offers extensive educational
resources to help prevent you from getting scammed, as well as a
growing database of common scams. (Don't miss the Nigerian Advance Fee
Scam, which keeps robbing small businesses.)
Internet
Fraud Watch: Click on the site's "Internet
statistics" to surface a treasure trove of factoids. Case in
point: Internet fraud robbed consumers of more than $3.2 million in
1999, according to the National Consumer League's Internet
Fraud Watch.
Robert McGarvey writes on business, psychology and management topics for several national publications. To reach him online with your questions or comments, e-mail rjmcgarvey@aol.com.