I. SCAMS AND BLACKLISTS

Find out here the latest information about scams:

• Latest information about Internet scams provided by an e-zine (You can read all articles online, too)
• File complaints about suspicious sites to the FTC's secure server
• Internet scam reports
• Blacklist of Internet Advertisers
• The top 10 Internet frauds & scams
• The scams and spams message board
• FTC Top Consumer Scams
• Corporation Commission releases top-scams list. The Arizona Corporation Commission's Securities Division today released a list of the top 10 investment scams it is combating.
• Examples Of Mail Order Scams ("..After spending the last few months investigating certain types of mail order businesses, it was obvious that some of them were border line questionable, if not a verifiable scam...")
• United States Postal Inspection Service - Consumer Frauds ("..Home Improvement and Home Repair Frauds, The Phony Inheritance Scam, Receipt of Unsolicited Merchandise, Missing Persons Fraud Scheme, Prison Pen Pal Money Order Scam, Fraudulent Health and Medical Products..")
• Scams & Tips to Avoid Them (Mail order, MLM, Telemarketing...)
• and more...

II. ABOUT SCAMS - EDUCATIONAL & PROTECTION

Being able to identify scams means also be able to protect yourself against them. Reading these interesting articles and tutorials below will bring security much nearer to you.

• How to identify hoaxes and actively combat them ("..Most Internet users are familiar with virus warnings, chain letters and petitions which arrive in their mailbox. Many of these messages spread false information and waste a lot of bandwidth by asking you to forward them to all your friends. The HoaxKill service was created to help you identify hoaxes and to actively combat them. To find out if a message is a hoax, you can look for it on this website...)
• How to avoid Internet investment scams and frauds ("..The Internet serves as an excellent tool for investors, allowing them to easily and inexpensively research investment opportunities. But the Internet is also an excellent tool for fraudsters. That's why you should always think twice before you invest your money in any opportunity you learn about through the Internet. This alert tells you how to spot different types of Internet fraud, what the SEC is doing to fight Internet investment scams, and how to use the Internet to invest wisely..." - A 'SET' site)
• How to Spot An Internet Scam ("..You may have thought that the business opportunity scams died out with the growth of the Internet, but you couldn't have been any more wrong. Scams are alive and well today online...and they may just be knocking on your door...")
• The largest Internet Safety program (Mission: Safety and technology education and information/Providing help to law enforcement and to Internet users in need/Preventing cybercrimes and protecting the innocent online)
• and more...

III. PYRAMID SCHEMES & SCAMS

Pyramid schemes are very popular scams. Don't get trapped by them and read the tutorials below:

• Pyramid Schemes ("..Pyramid schemes, also referred to as "chain referral", "binary compensation" or "matrix marketing" schemes, are marketing and investment frauds which reward participants for inducing other people to join the program. Ponzi schemes, by contrast, operate strictly by paying earlier investors with money deposited by later investors without the emphasis on recruitment or awareness of participation structure..." - Very detailed)
• Pyramid Scheme Scam Calculator ("..Pyramid schemes typically work as a club, where individuals pay their "joining fee" or "gift" or "donation" to people further "up" the pyramid, in the expectation that they themselves will get paid by new recruits who join further "down" the pyramid...")
• Pyramid schemes, Chain letters and Ponzi schemes (Article & Tutorial)
• PSA, Pyramid Scheme Alert ("..international organization to expose, study and prevent illegal pyramid schemes..." - Many onside article. Very Interesting)
• Profits In Pyramid Schemes? Don't Bank On It ("..Think pyramids and multi-level marketing plans are the same? Think again...")
• Pyramid Schemes & Chain Letters. Do they really work? You decide ("..If you are active in mail order, you've no doubt seen tons of chain letters and pyramid programs. In case you're not familiar with them, here's an overview.
• Legitimate Multi-Level Marketing with Illegal Pyramid Schemes Are There Profits In Pyramid Schemes? Don't Bank On It ("..Are you under the impression that pyramids and multi-level marketing plans are the same? No, they're not Tips To Avoid Pyramid Schemes (Provided by FTC)
• What's Wrong with Chain Letter Pyramid Schemes? ("..If you've spent any time reading Usenet news, you've seen postings with subject lines like "Make Cash Fast." It sounds harmless; you send $1 to five people on a list, then new members send you money, and so on. What could be wrong with that?..")
• Illegal pyramid schemes have 3 signs to look for...
• The Little Black Book of SCAMS - A Consumer’s Guide to Scams, Swindles, Rorts and Rip Offs (PDF, 36 p.).
• and more...