Scram, Scam! If you sell on the Web, know that fraud is part of the e-commerce game. Don't let thieves get the best of you.

Keith Peer, owner of Central Command Inc., knows all too wellthe risk of doing business on the Web. An online software merchantnear Cleveland, Central Command offers antivirus software toconsumers who have been attacked by hackers, crackers and otheronline scammers. Before Peer set up his Web site back in 1994, hetook several precautions to make it as virus- and fraud-free aspossible. His first step was to choose an e-commerce vendor whosesystem came complete with software to check for fraud.

Peer also did some checking of his own, keeping a close eye ontwo kinds of buying activities that could indicate fraud. Oneindicator was the purchase of multiple licenses without testing thesoftware. (It's common practice for software buyers to downloada free trial version before making a multiple purchase.) Anotherindicator consisted of orders from areas with high incidences offraud, such as Miami, Los Angeles and former Soviet Unioncountries. In both cases, he'd check and recheck credit cardnumbers to ensure they were legitimate.

Today, Peer's Web site is virtually fraud-free, but he stillhasn't let down his guard. "As soon as we went online, westarted experiencing attempts by consumers to use fraudulent creditcard numbers," says Peer, 33. "And we still see the sametraits over and over. It's an ongoing problem, but it's afact of life in the e-commerce world today."