Review: Scams & Swindles: How to Recognize and Avoid Internet Era Rip-Offs

Author:  The Silver Lake Editors

Publishers: Silver Lake Publishing

ISBN: 1563437864

The following review was submitted by:  NORM GOLDMAN: Editor of Bookpleasures. CLICK TO VIEW Norm Goldman's Reviews       

There is a well-known wise saying, Caveat Emptor, which is the Latin for Buyer Beware.  In other words, when purchasing goods or services it is essential that the buyer take all precautions in examining the item or services they are purchasing.  

The editors of the Silver Lake Publishers have produced an excellent and pragmatic book, Scams & Swindles: How to Recognize and Avoid Internet Era Rip-Offs that focuses on many of the common con tricks and scams that deceive individuals and consumers, particularly if we are involved in some way or another with the Internet-be it email or otherwise. It is noteworthy to mention that although some of these scams seem to be relatively new, their modus operandi dates back hundreds of years in that they are based on the con artist’s imagination and the victim’s gullibility.

The book takes a very realistic look at Internet scams and lays bare important details pertaining to such frauds as eBay auctions, the Nigerian emails emanating from some fake high government official requesting the use of your bank account to transfer funds, scams that involve investment, business and banking, fake charities, sweetheart and Russian bride swindles, drugs and pharmaceuticals rip-offs.

The authors also include weighty specifics as to how Internet hackers operate and commit their crimes, as well as something that is becoming more common today- phishing. This basically is when you receive emails from a financial institution that cleverly resembles one you are presently dealing with and you are requested to provide some very personal information. A further variation of the same theme is that it may originate from a site that appears to be Ebay requesting your pin number and some other important data.  Internet criminals have become even more sophisticated in their implementation of phishing, wherein an email, instant message or other Internet communication is sent to you in someone else’s name. As the authors point out, it really boils down to a form of identity theft.

Other topics examined and that we are often subjected to in our daily use of the Internet are the nasty and very often annoying practices of spam and spyware. Spam today is not only restricted to pornography, it also involves get-rich-quick schemes or miracle drugs. In fact, as the authors point out, a study by a British computer security firm, Clearswift Ltd, discovered in 2004 that finance spams topped the list of the most popular with 39%, whereas pornography was at the bottom of the list, 4.8%.

The authors have obviously done their research and they have completed an impressive job in putting together all of the information in a clear, upbeat and conversation style that present readers with valuable insights into the world of Internet crime. The message is unmistakable, think twice before clicking something within the body of an email or giving out information to anyone and always bear in mind caveat emptor. Moreover, the authors’ elaborate suggestions that appear throughout the book as to how to prevent problems should not go unheeded.