Scams everywhere! Beware

Scams, especially Internet scams, are on the rise and novel methods are being devised to trick people into losing their money. In some cases their identity can be stolen as well, which could be used to commit frauds. Some of the most popular scams are listed below:

• Chain Letters or Emails asking you to send an email, along with some money, by mail to the top names on the list while adding your name to the bottom and thereby making millions when you receive back money from others. There are several variations to it.
  
• Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) is classic pyramid scheme and the ladder-climbing becomes more important than selling the actual product or service. It's all about finding new recruits to keep the chain under you alive, now done more efficiently via the net.
  
• Turn your computer into a money-making machine which asks you send some money and then you'll be sent instructions on how to place ads and pull in suckers to "turn their computers into money-making machines".
  
• Typing At Home scam, wherein, after sending the fee to the scammer for more information, you receive a disk and printed information that tells you to place home typist ads and sell copies of the disk to the suckers who reply to you.
  
• Call this 1-900 number for more information doesn't require much time or money as these numbers cost money to call and the scammer makes all the money.
  
• In the medical billing scam you pay $300-$900 for everything you need to start your own medical billing service at home when the reality is that most medical clinics process their own bills or outsource the processing to firms and not individuals.
  
• The Domain name registration scams tell a domain owner that in order to keep their domain listing they have to send a check for a certain amount, when in fact these are usually registered for a year.

In fact, the Internet Scam Busters site http://www.scambusters.org/work-at-home.html lists 10 top scams that are being circulated on the net with tips on how to avoid them.